Get a sneak peek of ESPN's NBA Finals Game 1 hype video for Spurs vs. Knicks

Fans who tune in to watch the 2026 NBA Finals on ESPN might notice something a little different before tipoff.

>ESPN created seven unique opening segments to precede each game of the San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks series, starting with Game 1 on June 3 (you can watch that video above). The 80-second videos depict different defining moments from NBA Finals history inside the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

>This is the ESPN's 24th year broadcasting the NBA Finals, but the first year of the network's new 11-year media rights agreement with the NBA. The opens mark the relaunch of that relationship and celebrate the Finals.

>"This was time to reimagine what we have been doing most recently, and I love that we landed here," said Tim Corrigan, ESPN's senior vice president of sports production. "You want to look at teams that are there and respect them for their journey and how they got here, and I think the idea here is introducing that you're part of something even bigger when you do get here and this is the legacy of it."

>The Game 1 open features clips of LeBron James’ block of Andre Iguodala in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals and Kevin Garnett’s iconic “Anything’s Possible” moment in addition to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Other legends highlighted are Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving. More recent moments include the Spurs dynasty, Dwayne Wade celebrating the Miami Heat's first title, Kawhi Leonard celebrating the Toronto Raptors' first title, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo leading their teams to championships and Steph Curry's dagger 3-pointer against the Celtics.

>ESPN had a team of about 20 people working on the opens for the last six months, a process Corrigan described as a "fun NBA history lesson."

>"The whole concept of these historic moments, from Bill Russell to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and everybody in between, living inside the trophy, I think we as a group felt like that was the right thought and dynamic," Corrigan said. "It just spoke to us a little bit in the way of, this is what would be inside that world and these are the people and the moments that would live there."

>The Game 1 open also includes a globe inside the trophy in recognition of the international players who have made their mark in the NBA, including recent MVPs Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic.

>This year's NBA Finals feature two young faces of the league, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and Knicks star Jalen Brunson. Corrigan said ESPN intends to incorporate moments from this series into future Finals opens.

>"We're going to have our eighth consecutive new NBA champion this year, right?" he said. "So we're looking forward to who will be the next player who joins this piece or what's the next moment that joins this piece."

>Corrigan produced the last 18 NBA Finals in his previous role as a senior coordinating producer for ESPN, and oversaw the creation of the opens along with producers Steve Lawrence and Jeremy Anderson and design company MakeMake.

>Corrigan said he hopes the opening segments elevate the entire Finals viewing experience and showcase the emotion inherent to the sport.

>"When you get a chance to do this, it's so personal and there's images and moments you'll never forget," he said. "Nikola Jokic is holding his daughter as confetti pours down all around him after the Finals. There's just these moments of unbridled joy that happened with all these players because this is what they've worked their lifetime for, to have this moment."

>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ESPN pays tribute to NBA Finals history in opens for Knicks vs Spurs