Behind the Mic: Michael Phelps, Misty May Treanor Join NBCU's Paris 2024 Roster; The Future of Barkley, Stephen A. and ESPN's Top NBA Crew

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, Michael Phelps and Misty May-Treanor will join NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Games, Comedian Matt Friend will host the 2024 NHL Awards, Charles Barkley announces his retirment, ESPN is on the lookout for a top NBA analyst (again), and Stephen A. Smith gets a massive offer to stay at ESPN. 

Michael Phelps Joins NBCU’s Paris 2024 Daytime and Primetime Shows

Michael Phelps, who has won more total Olympic medals (28) and gold medals (23) than anyone in history, will join NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris this summer, it was announced today.

Phelps, who returns to NBCU’s coverage following his role on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, will offer commentary and analysis on the primetime and daytime shows in Paris on NBC and Peacock, and will also join Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines in the booth for select swimming competition at París La Défense Arena. Elizabeth Beisel will serve as a correspondent/analyst and Melissa Stark a reporter at the swimming venue in Paris.

Beginning tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and Peacock, Phelps, who competed in five Olympic Games from 2000-16, will join Hicks and Gaines in the booth for NBC Sports’ coverage of the U.S. Olympic Trials-Swimming in Indianapolis.

“We are excited to have Michael return to our coverage across both daytime and primetime, and of course, the place where no one knows more about winning – at the pool,” says Molly Solomon, Executive Producer & President, NBC Olympics Production. “With his ability to analyze and entertain, our viewers are in for another gold-medal performance.”

Misty May-Treanor Making NBC Olympics Debut 

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor will join NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris this summer as a beach volleyball analyst, it was announced today.

Comedian Matt Friend to Host 2024 NHL Awards

Comedian Matt Friend will host the 2024 NHL Awards. The celebration of the League’s best regular-season performances will be broadcast live from Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Thursday, June 27 on ESPN and Sportsnet in the U.S. and Canada, respectively, beginning at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET. Tickets to the show are available here.

Friend and his career as a comedian and impressionist have been on the rise since the beginning of 2024. He has appeared on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, conducted viral interviews on the Golden Globes Red Carpet, performed at the White House Correspondents Dinner and headlined the Netflix Is A Joke Festival as part of his nationwide standup tour. Later this summer, Friend is launching his own late-night talk show-inspired podcast on Bill Maher’s Club Random Studios.

“Growing up, all my heroes were hockey-obsessed comedians. I am so thrilled to join the list of my heroes like Will Arnett and Kenan Thompson as host of the NHL Awards, especially as someone who grew up a Chicago Blackhawks fan during the dynasty,” says Friend. “I am so grateful to Steve Mayer, Michael Dempsey, and Gary Bettman for the opportunity to fulfill my lifelong dream of hosting the Golden Globes… of Hockey! Hopefully I’ll win them over when I debut my Gary Bettman impression!”

“We can’t wait to be back in Las Vegas to celebrate the best players in the NHL and cap off a monumental season for the league,” says NHL Chief Content Officer and Senior Executive Vice President Steve Mayer. “Vegas has a unique energy and we’re thrilled to have Matt Friend join us as host this year. Matt is a versatile comedic talent unlike any other and we know the show will be in great hands.”

The event marks the 11th time the NHL Awards will be presented in Las Vegas, and the first time since 2019. Past winners of each award can be accessed here. The 2024 NHL Awards will honor the best regular-season players in a wide range of categories, including most valuable player (Hart Trophy), outstanding goaltender (Vezina Trophy), outstanding defenseman (Norris Trophy) and outstanding rookie (Calder Trophy). The Ted Lindsay Award, which is presented annually to the “most outstanding player” in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), will also be awarded.

More News and Notes

Charles Barkley, part of the award-winning “Inside the NBA” studio, says that he will retire from TV next year. The basketball hall of famer who built a second career as a sports commentator on TNT, announced his retirement Friday after Game 4 of the NBA Finals amid reports that Warner Bros. Discovery is likely to lose its NBA rights package after next season. Barkley said Friday that he is going to “pass the baton” to someone else once he reaches 25 years as a commentator. “I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT. But I have made the decision that no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television,” said the 61-year-old Barkley. However, most people in the industry are having a hard time believing Barkley would truly walk away, according to Richard Dietsch at The Athletic…

…For the third time in a year, ESPN must reconfigure its top NBA announcing team. This comes after the news that the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a four-year contract with ESPN’s current top analyst JJ Redick to make him the franchise’s next coach. After letting go of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson last summer, ESPN tabbed Doc Rivers to work alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke this season. However, Rivers bolted for the head coaching job at the Bucks mid-season, who was then replaced by Reddick. Rumors abound about who will fill the seat alongside Breen and Burke, but Ryan Glasspiegel at the NY Post believes the network should select current studio analyst Tim Legler…

…ESPN made its initial offer of $18 million per year for five years to keep Stephen A. Smith at the network, according to John Ourand at PUCK. That will make him ESPN’s highest-paid star, earning more than Monday Night Football’s Troy Aikman or Joe Buck. According to Ourand, Smith has reportedly been seeking some $25 million per year and his agents have pointed to Pat McAfee’s deal (which nets close to $30 million per year between his studio show and College GameDay appearances) and ESPN’s $700 million deal with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions as a comp.