Hall of Fame broadcaster Marv Albert, the long-time voice of Turner Sports’ NBA live game telecasts, has shared his plans to retire following his call of TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2021 NBA Eastern Conference finals. For more than a half century, the iconic Albert has entertained sports fans with his unique style and original catchphrases on both television and radio. He has called 25 NBA All-Star Games, 13 NBA Finals and the Dream Team during the 1992 Olympics, among many significant moments in sports history.
Turner Sports will present a 30-minute tribute to Albert during this year’s NBA Eastern Conference finals, while also celebrating some of the most memorable calls from his broadcasting career throughout the NBA Playoffs.
“My 55 years of broadcasting the NBA has just flown by and I’ve been fortunate to work with so many wonderful and talented people, said Albert. “Now, I’ll have the opportunity to hone my gardening skills and work on my ballroom dancing.”
“Marv’s legendary voice will forever be linked to many of the greatest moments in sports history,” said Jeff Zucker, Chairman, WarnerMedia News and Sports. “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.”
“There is no voice more closely associated with NBA basketball than Marv Albert’s,” said Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner. “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.”
Albert has been with Turner Sports for 22 years, including 19 as an NBA play-by-play announcer. In addition to the NBA, his responsibilities have included the NCAA Tournament (2011-15), Wimbledon Championships (2000-02), the 2002 World Championships of Basketball and the 2001 Goodwill Games.
Once a New York Knicks ball boy, Albert began his professional career in 1963 as a protégé of famed radio broadcaster Marty Glickman before taking over for him as the voice of the New York Rangers in 1965 and the Knicks in 1967. He quickly became a fan favorite during the Knicks’ 1968 playoff run after Knicks guard Dick Barnett banked in a jump shot and Albert exclaimed, for the first time on air, his signature call: “Yes!” Albert subsequently took on calling Knicks television broadcasts in 1986 for the Madison Square Garden cable network.
Albert worked for NBC Sports from 1977-97 and 2000-02, serving as the primary play-by-play voice for the NBA on NBC starting in 1990. Renowned as one of the most versatile commentators in sports, he also announced college basketball, boxing, NFL, NHL and MLB events for the network.
Albert also served as play-by-play announcer for the NFL on CBS from 2011-14 and as the voice of Westwood One Radio’s coverage of Monday Night Football from 2002-09. He called eight Super Bowls on national radio. He was also the voice of the New York Rangers for 30 years, calling eight Stanley Cup Finals.
Awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997, Albert has also been named to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame (2014), Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2015) and the American Sportscaster Association Sportscaster of the Year (1996). He’s also a multi-time Sports Emmy Award winner, CableACE Award recipient and he has been named New York Sportscaster of the Year 20 times.
Albert’s brother, Al Albert, has been the television voice of the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers; and his brother Steve Albert was the long-time boxing voice for Showtime and called games for the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. His son, Kenny Albert, is one of MSG’s voices for the New York Rangers’ games on radio, as well as a play-by-play for Fox’s NFL and MLB coverage. His wife, Heather, is an Emmy Award winning producer at NBC and with ESPN’s Outside the Lines. He has three additional children: Brian, Denise and Jackie.
Albert attended Syracuse University from 1960-63; he graduated from New York University in 1965. He was inducted into the WAER (Syracuse University NPR affiliate) Hall of Fame in 2017, and the school honored Albert by naming the WAER radio studio in his honor.
The Hall of Fame broadcaster has called 13 NBA Finals and broadcast the NBA for 55 years.
