Pop-up newsstand outside 30 Rock passes out free comic books ahead of NBA season

NEW YORK CITY (NBC, KYMA) - The NBA season is getting underway, with three games taking place Tuesday.

The first matchup is between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons, while the second match-up is between the New York Knicks, who won the NBA Championship last season, and the Philadelphia 76ers as it will be LeBron James' first season with the team since leaving the Los Angeles Lakers.

Meanwhile, the third match-up is between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.

To promote the 2026-27 season, there was a pop-up newsstand outside 30 Rock, where hundreds of copies of NBA-themed comic books were distributed to celebrate the start of the season.

There was one cover devoted to the champions, another one devoted to each of Tuesday's three match-ups, and another that spotlighted all three games.

"The NBA's biggest stars really are superheroes. They defy gravity, they achieve the unthinkable and they save the day for their teams. the more we thought about it, the more we kept thinking it would be perfect to put them in a comic universe, which we did with these books," said Lewis Clarke, SR Director of Marketing for NBC Sports.

"To see LeBron in the 76ers jersey is still crazy to me. OKC, Shai is one of my favorite players. We got Brunson up there of course, Tatum up there. Tatum would not be up there if Brown were still on the team. I think it's interesting to see this. So it's cool that they put this inside the animation form," said one NBA fan.

"Listen, this comic book is amazing. You don't know what we had to go through to achieve the championship that we did and for us to become comic members now, let's go! I'm all for it," said Beatrice Brown, a Knicks fan.

"They are super heroes. Everything they did last season felt like fate or destiny. From the tip in, to the comebacks, there was just nothing that could stop this team and it was a dream playoffs and I think this is going to be the cherry on top of it all," said Dan Sherman, another Knicks fan.

The Celtics and the Pistons play at noon Pacific time, the Knicks and the 76ers play at 4 p.m. Pacific, and the Thunder and Spurs play at 6:30 p.m. Pacific. All three games will air on NBC.