NBA Brings Back Bill Walton’s Alternative Telecast on League Pass
Jason Benetti returns as play-by-play man for ‘Throw it Down’
The NBA said it is bringing back Bill Walton’s streaming alternative game cast, which is available to NBA League Pass subscribers via that NBA app.
The hoops Hall of Famer will be joined by returning play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti on Throw it Down with Bill Walton, which tips off on Monday, when the Bucks play the Nuggets.
Walton and Benetti will be joined by a series of guests during the season. Benetti, recently signed on as the voice of the Detroit Tigers after a run as TV play-by-play voice of the Chicago White Sox.
“Throw it Down Season 2 is here, and what could be better,” Walton said in a statement.
“I’m excited, honored, and privileged beyond words,“ Walton, the former Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics star, said. “The NBA is the best — of everything; the best game, the best players, the best and most interesting people, the best and most innovative entertainment product, the list is endless.
“Throw it Down is also the best way to enjoy, embrace, and consume the NBA,“ Walton said. “Our show team, led by the incomparable Jason Benetti, delivers unmatched everything; dynamic, vibrant, and exhilarating guests, fabulous, exciting, and provocative discourse and storytelling and leading-edge technology. An all-encompassing experience like no other, all with minimal interruptions as we ricochet through uncharted time and space.
“Our show is a mix of the greatest story ever told and the greatest show in this universe — and undoubtedly beyond,” Walton continued. “We are exclusive to the NBA App, which is the next evolutionary step in human progress following the innovations of the wheel, fire, the thermos and the high-post offense. Miss Throw It Down season two at your own peril.”
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Four episodes are planned with the opener followed by a Mavericks-76ers game on February 5, the Suns taking on the Cavaliers on March 11 and the Pacers versus the Clippers on March 25.
Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.