Change is on the horizon for NBA fans, and Amazon Prime is ready to shake things up. With its 11-year, nearly $20 billion deal kicking off in the 2025-26 season, the streaming giant is assembling a star-studded team to lead its coverage. Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, and Taylor Rooks. Sounds impressive, right? Yet, the announcement has sparked mixed emotions among fans.

Griffin and Nowitzki, two of the most iconic players in recent memory, will join Rooks, who takes on hosting duties. Amazon’s bold move has certainly caught attention, especially with Ian Eagle signed on as the lead play-by-play voice.

If you’ve followed Eagle’s work with TNT or the Brooklyn Nets, you know the level of expertise he brings to the table. However, the mystery remains about who will join him in the commentary booth. Amazon plans to broadcast 66 games for a regular season, but there’s still a lot left to figure out.

Will Rooks, Blake Griffin, and Dirk Nowitzki stick to studio roles, or could we see them involved in other ways?

Fans are eager to see how this lineup pans out, but opinions have already flooded in. The recent Instagram post by Boardroom announcing the trio stirred a mix of excitement and skepticism. It’s worth mentioning Amazon’s success with NFL coverage has already set a promising precedent, but replicating that with the NBA is a task in itself.

Fans react to Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki taking charge of Amazon Prime’s NBA coverage

“I like Dirk, I don’t know how I feel about Blake”, one IG user wrote. Well, no surprises there considering Nowitzki has always attracted much love and support from the NBA fans. Griffin, meanwhile, despite his gravity-defying dunks, has been a target for fans more often than you’d think. The fact that Reddit threads are pondering upon questions like why everyone hates Blake Griffins is a testament to this.

Then some were concerned about Griffin and Dirk having no experience in the Broadcasting space. “… Dirk and Blake Griffin are like total opposites and newbies to TV smh” wrote one such user. While this is true to some extent, we cannot ignore the fact that Dirk has previously filled in on TNT’s Inside the NBA.

As for Griffin, even though he has not worked in the broadcasting space, he has some experience in television and comedy. This includes his participation in Comedy Central’s Roast of Alec Baldwin. Now, among all the IG users, there were many whose only concern was how Griffin looked in the announcement of his upcoming stint with Amazon.

One such user drew a comparison between Griffin and Ron Burgundy from Anchorman, played by Will Ferrell. “Blake look like Ron Burgundy,” wrote the IG user. Now, amid all the criticism, there was also some hope for the former Brooklyn Nets star based on his past TV experience.

“Blake has experience in front of the camera. His time in comedy could make him a great fit in this role,” wrote one user. But still considering the lack of experience part, let’s not forget even the players who have now turned the greats of TV—Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith—were once completely new to the field. “Before you judge, give them a chance at least,” wrote one such optimistic user.

The responses are a mix of criticism, trolling, and support, so all that can be done is wait for the coverage on Prime to start.