Some things never change. Ahmad Rashad is interviewing some of the biggest names in basketball on his new show NBA Rewind with Ahmad Rashad.

Some things do change. Rewind is streaming on the NBA app. And most of today’s younger NBA players weren’t around when NBA Inside Stuff was one of the few places where you could see basketball stars off the court and Rashad was the one talking to them.

In Inside Stuff’s heyday on NBC, Rashad would be courtside for games and players would ask when they’d be on the show.

“They’d dribble by me going ‘hey man, when am I going to be on,” Rashad told Broadcasting+Cable. "Each game was like an audition."

These days, if players know who Rashad is, it’s because they saw him with Michael Jordan during The Last Dance, the documentary on Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ last championship season that was a hit during the pandemic..

On Rewind, named after an Inside Stuff segment, Rashad has conversations with NBA legends like Shaquille O’Neal and Dominique Wilkins as well as current stars such as Steph Curry, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

To produce the show, Rashad has three cameras at his house and the show puts  two cameras where the player is. “It looks like we’re in the same room,” he said.

Sometimes the conversation turns to a player's influences. Embiid, for example, learned some of his post moves by watching Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, who came to the U.S. from the same region in Africa. 

Modern technology allows Rashad to surprise his subjects by adding Olajuwon and others to join the conversations. ”It’s a very entertaining thing we’re doing,” Rashad said.

Many of today’s players don’t know much about the superstars who were in the association when Inside Stuff was on the air.

“They never saw Magic Johnson play or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar play,” Rashad said. “They grew up in another era.”

Rashad said he feels that it’s impossible to compare today’s players to those that played decades ago. “The sport changes. The people change. The things that make you great changes also,” he said.

Back in the day, Rashad was known for his rapport with Jordan, the league’s top attraction. Will Jordan be on Rewind?

“I think MIke is done after The Last Dance. I think that was his last statement,” Rashad said.

“Everyone talks about who’s the best, him or LeBron [James, who this season set the NBA career scoring record]. Michael’s answer is: ‘We’ll never know. It’s two different eras. We’re never going to play against each other, so who knows,’” Rashad said.

Not too many people remember that before Inside Stuff, Rashad was an All Pro receiver in the National Football League.

“When I started doing television, my goal was to do television so well that people would forget I played football,” he said, “That might have been a mistake, but I’m happy the way it turned out.”

Even his kids are hazy on his career as an athlete. “My daughter came home from school one day,” he recalled. “And she said ‘there’s a guy in my class that wants your autograph. He said you played football. Did you?’” 

Longtime NBA Inside Stuff host Ahmad Rashad is coming to the NBA App with a new streaming show NBA Rewind with Ahmad Rashad.

Rashad will interview current NBA stars and legends in the series. The premiere episode features Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

Basketball Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Dominique Wilkins are among those interviewed in future episodes.

“NBA Rewind with Ahmad Rashad will provide an inside look at some of the NBA’s current greats along with legends themselves,” said Rashad. “Throughout the four decades that I have covered the league, I have learned that fans deeply appreciate my perspective on the game and the players, and NBA Rewind with Ahmad Rashad will provide it to them on the NBA App.”

Rashad, who played NFL football for 10 seasons, hosted NBA Inside Stuff for 16 seasons. He also hosted Ahmad Inside, a five-part series on ESPN Plus.

The NBA relaunched its app last year and had been producing original programming for it. Other series on the NBA app including Pass The Rock, Throw It Down with Bill Walton and Gold Blooded.

The app is a product of NBA Digital, a joint venture of the NBA and Warner Brother Discovery Sports. ■

With its launch just 11 days away, Back9Network announced talent pairings for a number of key shows.

The golf lifestyle service, slated to launch on DirecTV on Sept. 29, plans to tee off over 1,100 hours of original programming during its first year on course, including midday and evening studio shows, The Turn, Off Par and The Clubhouse.

“While we will certainly pay attention to professional golf’s leaderboard, our coverage will focus on the lifestyle of the game where golf enthusiasts are spending their time and money — the courses and resorts they can play, the latest fashion, gadgets and equipment, and the behind-the-scenes stories that will highlight the personalities and characters that make golf so much fun,” said Scot Thor, senior vice president of programming. “We’re dedicated to introducing lifestyle entertainment to the game of golf while respecting its values and traditions, and we’ve brought on some incredibly talented people to emphasize the depth, humility and humor in the game.”

The Turn, the network’s flagship hour melding golf, pop culture, debate, and entertainment will premiere on Sept. 29 and is scheduled weekdays at noon and 7 p.m. (ET). It will be co-hosted by Shane Bacon, a veteran cbssports.com and Yahoo! Sports golf writer, and Erica Bachelor, the former E! Network host. The duo will tackle the industry’s biggest topics by blending news, analysis and user-generated content with behind-the-scenes perspectives from the game’s most colorful icons and personalities.

Former PGA Tour pro John Maginnes, ex-Golfweek senior writer Jeff Rude, and women’s extreme sports champion Will Christien will team on The Clubhouse, scheduled for weeknights at 10 p.m..  Echoing talk at the 19th hole, the trio’s no-holds-barred conversations will cover the latest happenings both on and off the course, integrating questions and guidance from viewers at home, celebrities and the game’s professionals.

Co-hosted by acclaimed comedian and actor Matty Blake, and American model Caite (not Kate) Upton, Off Par aims to provide an inventive look at the world of golf and entertainment, with a comedic twist. Blake, Upton, and a rotating cast of characters aspire to supply laughs via viral internet videos, user-generated social media content, golf-themed skits, and guest appearances by other comedians. The program will air weeknights at 8 p.m.

In addition, the network will put Charles Everett and Universo Pereira in play as network co-hosts. Everett is a veteran voice, theatre, and television actor, while Periera has both television and stage experience.  

For their parts, Alexis Morgan (TV personality/reporter) and Katie Sundseth  (TV personality/model) have joined the network as lifestyle correspondents. All will offer personalized, satirical, and at times brutally honest opinions on what’s trending in golf on The Turn, Off Par and The Clubhouse.

As previously announced, executive producer Ahmad Rashad will host a self-titled show at 9 p.m. on launch day. Other series in that hour include Golf Treasures and Ball Hogs.