“Jordan for three … YES!!”
For those that grew up watching the NBA, hearing this legendary call from play-by-play announcer Marv Albert meant that you were watching something special. His patented call was always perfectly timed, as was his dry New York sarcasm.
On Saturday, Albert announced that he will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals after a broadcasting career that began in 1963.
If you have two minutes and two seconds, check out Albert’s introduction for the 1991 NBA Finals on NBC below. If this doesn’t give you chills, nothing will.
Marv Albert is reportedly set to retire after the season. Growing up my enduring images of basketball were MJ, Magic, Marv and the NBA on NBC theme. This opening for the 1991 Finals combines all four.
— Sid Seixeiro (@Sid_Seixeiro) May 15, 2021
“My 55 years of broadcasting the NBA has flown by and I’ve been fortunate to work with so many wonderful and talented people,” Albert said according to Warner Media. “Now, I’ll have the opportunity to hone my gardening skills and work on my ballroom dancing.”
Albert took over announcing duties for legendary broadcaster Marty Glickman in 1965 as the voice of the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks in 1967. He began calling Knicks games on television in 1986 for the Madison Square Garden cable network.
In 1990, Albert became the main play-by-play announcer for the NBA on NBC and his calls have been heard by generations of NBA fans ever since.
“There is no voice more closely associated with NBA basketball than Marv Albert’s,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said according to Warner Media. “My first memories of the NBA were of listening to Marv call a game with his signature style, iconic phrases and unparalleled passion. From his remarkable run as play-by-play announcer for the Knicks to his prominent national roles calling our marquee games on NBC and Turner Sports, Marv has been the soundtrack for basketball fans for nearly 60 years. We congratulate him on a Hall of Fame career that is simply unmatched.”
From 2002-2009, he was the voice of Westwood One Radio’s coverage of Monday Night Football and served as a play-by-play announcer for the NFL on CBS from 2001-2014.
For the past 22 years, Albert has been with Turner Sports, with 19 of those years spent as an NBA play-by-play announcer.
“Marv’s legendary voice will forever be linked to many of the greatest moments in sports history,” Jeff Zucker, Chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports said. “He has entertained and informed generations of fans, and his broadcasting legacy will unquestionably stand the test of time. On behalf of all of his colleagues at Turner Sports, both past and present, I express my gratitude for the profound impact he’s had on the sports broadcasting industry throughout his decades of service.”
Albert was named to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 2014, the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015, and was named the American Sportscaster Association Sportscaster of the Year in 1996. He was also awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Turner Sports will be celebrating some of Albert’s legendary calls throughout the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.