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New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
As the NBA on TNT prepares for its finale, an appreciation for its legacy and contribution
Nostalgia is a mug's game, especially when it comes to the sports media. Sure, we celebrate beloved broadcasters retiring (shoutout, Hubie Brown) and the famed players they highlighted, but those festivities are short. It's onto the next soon enough in our fast-twitch Max — sorry, HBO Max — times. Focus on the past too long, and you'll be working at a Blockbuster. Advertisement But I'm going to miss TNT's coverage of the NBA — and my time to show gratitude has grown short. The last NBA broadcast on TNT could come at any time, including tonight. My appreciation for TNT's NBA coverage mostly revolves around its signature show, 'Inside The NBA,' and I'll get to that show in a bit. First, I want to note TNT's NBA game coverage, which has consistently been excellent over its 36-year run. TNT made Thursday nights feel big, from how it treated audio to graphics to camera angles. Its legacy includes four lead voices — Marv Albert, Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan and Dick Stockton — who all have legitimate credentials to be tagged as the greatest NBA game caller of all time. Among those who worked as analysts: Hubie Brown, Steve Kerr, Mike Fratello. Each of those broadcasters educated you about the game as opposed to screaming it at you. (Think of how good viewers had it with Kerr for the five years he worked at TNT.) There were the transcendent sideline reporters — Cheryl Miller and the late Craig Sager, to name just two —who elevated broadcasts with observations and reporting. You can't detail TNT's basketball story without mentioning the sartorially famous Sager, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2014 and returned to the NBA sidelines in 2015 after an 82-day hospital stay. He died at 65 in December 2016. In all my years writing about sports media, Sager was the only person who regularly fielded questions from me on wardrobe. Even when we spoke during his cancer treatment, I'd ask what he planned on coming up with for couture. The answers ranged from orange-and-white-striped linen coats to ostrich shoes. Sager's sideline interviews, especially with the intentionally grumpy Gregg Popovich, helped make TNT's NBA programming unique. The needle that TNT's game coverage threaded was that the crew respected the needs of the traditional NBA fan but also made broadcasts comfortable for a casual fan. The later years of the coverage on the game analyst side were more entertainment-based than informative, but the bar remained high overall. Since this column is offering nostalgia, maybe it's worth providing a short history of how the NBA ended up on TNT: In 1984, the league signed a two-year, $20 million deal (that is not a misprint) with Turner Broadcasting System for an exclusive national cable television package. The deal consisted of 55 regular season and 20 playoff games on Ted Turner's Atlanta television station WTBS, which at the time was available in 37 percent of homes in the United States and growing quickly. Advertisement The parties signed a two-year contract extension in 1987, granting TBS exclusive national cable rights to NBA games through the 1989-90 season. At the time, TBS held the rights to televise 50 regular-season games, 25 playoff games, various parts of the All-Star Game weekend (the Slam Dunk contest, a Legends game and the 3-point long-distance shootout), as well as the NBA Draft and the NBA awards show. In July 1989, Ted Turner announced that NBA games would move to his latest cable television venture, Turner Network Television (TNT), which had just topped a subscriber base of 30 million. TNT's programming then was mostly movies from the film library Turner acquired from MGM Studios in 1986. The future for cable television, to paraphrase Tom Petty, was wide open. 'We in cable have the high ground,' Turner told The New York Times on cable's potential for growth. 'You know they're hurting when they start squealing like pigs.' Of course, in the future, when basketball fans reminisce about the NBA on TNT, what will come first and foremost is the iconic studio show, 'Inside The NBA.' I have written it often but maybe one last time for the road: It is the best studio show in sports television history. The show has impacted multiple generations of basketball fans and players — and I'd argue that during its run, it has been as significant to the growth of the NBA as much as any member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Inside's genius was that it could go anywhere, because it was unrehearsed, unscripted and impactful. They once held a nine-minute discussion (think about that length for a sports studio show) on the nexus of China and the NBA's business interests that was unlike any other sports show that dared address the topic. During that same week, Charles Barkley delivered what made the show a riot. Of then-Hawks rookie small forward Cam Reddish, Barkley said, 'Cam Reddish only had one point. He had one point more than a dead man.' Advertisement One of its most iconic moments came on Jan. 27, 2020, when the show honored the life of Kobe Bryant. But it could be goofy as well, with Kenny Smith's endless racing to the video board and all the Gone Fishin' segments. Yes, it had its 'old men screaming at clouds' segments and Barkley went too far in some instances. But it was so much better than what competitor ESPN had to offer that Disney finally figured out the only way to beat it was to trade for it. 'Inside The NBA' will continue next season, produced for ESPN. Next up for the NBA is NBC (returning from its heyday of the 1990s with brand-new on-air talent) and Amazon Prime Video. (TNT's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, did acquire the rights for NBA games outside the U.S., including in Nordic countries and parts of Latin America, so congrats to Finland.) NBA viewers will adjust quickly. Few under 40 probably know that Fox didn't always air the NFL. Change is constant. Everything ends at some point. So thanks for the memories, TNT. You treated NBA viewers like adults. That's a great epitaph.
CNN
10-02-2025
- Sport
- CNN
91-year-old Hubie Brown says emotional goodbye after calling final game as Damian Lillard propels Bucks to victory over 76ers
Legendary broadcaster and former coach Hubie Brown called his final game on Sunday after more than 50 years in pro basketball, as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 135-127. Players from both teams came over to shake Brown's hand following the game, and the 91-year-old was also presented with the game ball. Earlier, an emotional Brown had received a standing ovation from the crowd at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum in when a video tribute was played on the screen during the first timeout. 'I have so many things to be thankful for, but my family and I can never thank everyone enough. We just want to send them the love that I've seen today right back with a big hug. It was a fantastic ride,' he said in his closing remarks. 'Thanks for your patience, fans. Today was a wonderful day for my family because they're all here today. I love you all and thank you for the opportunity from management.' Brown's final telecast came in the city where he landed his first NBA coaching job, having been an assistant on Larry Costello's staff for two years between 1972 and 1974. From then on, Brown spent a total of 15 years as the head coach of various teams. He won an American Basketball Association (ABA) title with the Kentucky Colonels in 1975, remaining with the team until the NBA-ABA merger when the franchise folded in 1976. Brown then became head coach of the Atlanta Hawks (1976-1981) and New York Knicks, leaving the latter in 1987. He returned to a head coaching role in 2002 with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he won his second NBA Coach of the Year award in 2004 before departing the same year. Brown also spent 35 years as a TV analyst, covering 18 NBA Finals during that time. He worked for TNT, ABC and ESPN, among others. Mike Breen, who called Sunday's game alongside Brown, said: 'It's impossible in a single telecast to properly thank a man who has given us so much for so long. For basketball fans around the world, Hubie Brown has been the gift that keeps on giving.' Tributes also came in from around the league. 'You brought so much passion to every telecast,' said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. 'You took great joy in teaching the finer points of basketball.' On X, LeBron James called him the greatest broadcaster of all time, writing Brown's name alongside a goat emoji. Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard also honored the broadcaster. 'He's been in the NBA since he was 24 years old. And to be 91 now, and here for his last game, I think is a special commitment to the game,' he said. 'It's the people who love on the game and love the league and the contributions that come from people like Hubie Brown is what has allowed it to become what it is, is what makes it special.' Lillard led the game on Sunday with a season-high 43 points, as well as seven rebounds and eight assists, as the Bucks beat the Sixers despite Giannis Antetokounmpo remaining sidelined with a calf injury. Milwaukee opted to shoot from range more often in Antetokounmpo's absence, making a season-high 24 three-pointers on 55 attempts. Six of Lillard's teammates scored double figures. Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid scored 39 and 27 points, respectively, for Philadelphia, but the game got away from the Sixers in the third quarter, before three straight triples from Milwaukee's Gary Trent Jr. with nine minutes left put the game beyond doubt.
Chicago Tribune
09-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Hubie Brown says ‘it was a fantastic ride' as he broadcasts his final NBA game at the age of 91
Hubie Brown received tributes from across the NBA community as the former coach and longtime broadcaster headed into retirement after spending more than half a century in pro basketball. The 91-year-old Brown called his final game Sunday as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 135-127. He was awarded the game ball after the final horn sounded. 'I have so many things to be thankful for, but my family and I can never thank everyone enough,' Brown said at the end of the telecast. 'We just want to send them the love that I've seen today right back with a big hug. It was a fantastic ride.' Players from both teams approached him before the game to shake his hand. He received a standing ovation during the opening timeout as a video honoring him aired on the Fiserv Forum scoreboard. Brown responded by blowing kisses to the crowd and mouthing 'Thank you.' Brown indicated he almost cried as that video aired. He considered it fitting that he was in Milwaukee for his final game as a broadcaster. His first NBA coaching job was as an assistant with the Bucks on Larry Costello's staff, a two-season stint that began in 1972. 'When I came here to the Milwaukee Bucks and Larry Costello, I received a master's degree and a doctorate's degree in basketball in two years,' Brown said at the start of Sunday's telecast. That launched an illustrious career on the bench and behind a microphone. Brown coached 15 seasons with the ABA's Kentucky Colonels (1974-76) and NBA's Atlanta Hawks (1976-81), New York Knicks (1982-87) and Memphis Grizzlies (2002-05). He won an ABA title with Kentucky in 1975 and was voted the NBA Coach of the Year in 1978 and 2004. He spent 35 years as a national TV and radio analyst, covering 18 NBA Finals. Brown was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005. 'I'm sure he's seen so much growth and so much change not only in the game of basketball but in the league,' Bucks guard Damian Lillard said after the game. 'It's come so far in a lot of ways, and I think that obviously you're going to have the commissioners and you're going to have players come along, but I think it's the people who love on the game and love the league and the contributions that come from people like Hubie Brown is what has allowed it to become what it is, is what makes it special.' Mike Breen, the play-by-play broadcaster for Sunday's game, called it the 'ultimate honor' to have Brown as a colleague. Breen spoke for other play-by-play broadcasters who worked alongside Brown by saying 'you've been like a father to many of us, our NBA father.' 'Could we pause, as I have a tear here,' Brown replied. ABC started its Sunday telecast by showing footage of Brown's very first NBA broadcast, a 1981 game airing on USA Network. NBC's Mike Tirico, Brown's former broadcast partner, joined the telecast remotely to pay his respects late in the first quarter. During breaks in the telecast, ABC showed highlights from Brown's coaching and broadcasting career along with testimonials from various NBA figures. 'You brought so much passion to every telecast,' NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during one of those breaks. 'You took great joy in teaching the finer points of basketball.' Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse presented Brown with a tiny replica of the Liberty Bell in the green room before the game. Bucks assistants wore a T-shirt with the message 'Thank You Hubie' and a heart during pregame warmups. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before the game that Brown remains one of the former coaches he often seeks out for advice. 'He was one of my first calls all the time and still is when things are rough or I'm trying to figure out something to me that's complicated,' Rivers said. Rivers said he often sought Brown's counsel in those situations because he figured there wasn't any kind of situation that the longtime coach and broadcaster hadn't encountered at some point in over a half-century in professional basketball. Bucks veteran center Brook Lopez made sure to talk to Brown before the game and say how much the former coach and broadcaster had meant to the NBA. 'That was one of my real first, real cool 'welcome to the league' experiences, was having him call one of my games and to see him in person, get to meet him, hearing he was a fan of me and my game, appreciated my game,' Lopez said. 'He's always had good tips for me. He's still coaching, even though he's commentating. It's in his DNA and in his blood, trying to help players get better.' As the Bucks prepared for Sunday's game, Rivers asked the youngest players on the roster what they knew about Brown. When they weren't aware of Brown's accomplishments, Rivers got Lopez to offer a primer. 'He gave a very impressive history run on Hubie and even knew the reason his last game was in Milwaukee is because this is where it all started, with him and Larry Costello,' Rivers said. Brown said that's what made it so appropriate to finish his career in Milwaukee. 'For me to end it here is very meaningful because I learned so much here,' Brown said.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Basketball Hall of Famer Hubie Brown calls his last NBA game at 91 years old
Hubie Brown took to the sideline to call his last NBA game on Sunday at 91 years old. A Basketball Hall of Famer, Brown has been a fixture on NBA sidelines either as a coach or a broadcaster since 1972, when he took his first NBA coaching job as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. Fittingly, his final game on the mic on Sunday for ESPN on ABC was in Milwaukee as the Bucks hosted and beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 135-127. After the game, players from both teams visited the broadcast table to share their respect for Brown. He was then given the game ball by the game officials. Hubie gets the game ball after his final NBA broadcast 👏(via @NBA) — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 9, 2025 Brown then signed off as a broadcaster for the final time via a conversation with play-by-play man Mike Breen. HUBIE BROWN'S FINAL CALL 🥺🥺🥺AN IMPACT ON THE GAME OF BASKETBALL THAT WILL LIVE ON FOREVER! 🙌 — NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2025 "Thanks for your patience, fans," Brown said. "Today was a wonderful day for my family, because they're all here today. I love you all. And thank you for the opportunity from management." Prior to the game, Brown reflected on the start of his broadcasting career in 1981 with USA Network. He said that he got a call from Bucks play-by-play man Eddie Doucette to gauge his interest in the job. He accepted and called games alongside Al Albert for USA, which was the NBA's first cable broadcasting partner. THE END OF AN ERA 💫Hubie Brown reflects on his start in broadcasting... to now today being the final chapter 🥺Don't miss Hubie's final call at 2pm/et on ABC! — NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2025 When he took to the broadcast table Sunday, players from both teams, including Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Bobby Portis Jr. and Brook Lopez, stopped to shake Brown's hand and pay their respects. SO much respect for Hubie Brown from the Sixers/Bucks players 🫶Hubie's final call is UNDERWAY alongside Mike Breen on ABC! — NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2025 Just before tip, Brown reflected on his broadcasting career alongside Breen. Legendary NBA broadcaster Hubie Brown is calling his final game today for Breen and the ESPN on ABC broadcast opened with a tribute to Hubie, which included showing his first telecast. 🏀🎙️❤️ — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 9, 2025 "I was frightened to death," Brown said after ABC ran video from his first broadcast with USA. "Who am I to be doing an NBA game? Breen then asked him what was on his mind as he prepared to call his last game. Brown credited former Bucks coach Larry Costello with preparing him for his career as a coach and a broadcaster. "Well, first of all, it's 50 years that went by so fast. You turn around and you can't believe it. That's No. 1," Brown said. "When I came with the Milwaukee Bucks with Larry Costello, I received a master's degree and a doctorate's degree in basketball in two years. They sent me off, and I was fortunate enough to go to the ABA. But I owe it all to here." Throughout Sunday's broadcast, ABC paid tribute to Brown with archive footage from his coaching and broadcasting career. Brown spent two seasons as an assistant for Costello from 1972-74, coaching Bucks teams featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. After the Bucks went to the NBA Finals in 1974, Brown left to take his first head coaching job with the ABA's Kentucky Colonels. After three seasons with the Colonels that included winning the 1975 ABA championship, Brown worked four seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. He coached the Hawks to three .500-plus seasons, but was fired in 1981 after his first losing campaign with the team. Thus launched his broadcasting career with USA, which lasted a single season before he was back on an NBA sideline as the head coach of the New York Knicks. Brown coached the Knicks from 1982 until he was dismissed after a 4-12 start in 1987. Then his broadcasting career began in earnest. Known as a teacher of the game, Brown took his acumen back to the booth, where he became a fixture of NBA broadcasts, calling games for CBS and then TNT until 2002. But he wasn't done coaching. Brown returned for the final time to an NBA sideline as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies for two-plus seasons from 2002-04. He then retired from coaching 12 games into the 2004-05 season, citing health issues at 71 years old. But he wasn't done with basketball. He joined ESPN and ABC after stepping down from the Grizzlies to work as a game analyst and has called games ever since, including alongside the network's top play-by-play announcers Breen and Al Michaels. Breen was emotional Sunday as he shared his thanks to Brown for his contributions to the broadcast booth: Mike Breen: "You've been like a father to many of us, our NBA father."Hubie Brown: "Can we pause as I have a tear here?"All the feels on ABC for Hubie's last game 🥺 — NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2025 "Everybody that works with you, we all feel the same way," Breen said. "For us play-by-play announcers who have been able to sit next to you, it's the ultimate honor to be here and learn from you. You've been like a father to many of us, our NBA father. "Because you not only taught us. You encouraged us, you supported us and you picked us up when we needed to be picked up. And that's something that, for all of us, will always be in our hearts." Brown was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2005. He was a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, once each with the the Hawks and Grizzlies, and finished his career with a 528-559 record across the ABA and NBA. He's also a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame who spent time on college sidelines as an assistant with Duke and William & Mary. He played three seasons as a reserve from Niagara from 1952-55. But for multiple generations of fans, Brown is best known for the wisdom he imparted in the broadcast booth for NBA fans watching the game in their living rooms.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Basketball Hall of Famer Hubie Brown calls his last NBA game at 91 years old
Hubie Brown took the sideline to call his last NBA game on Sunday at 91 years old. A Basketball Hall of Famer, Brown has been a fixture on NBA sidelines either as a coach or a broadcaster since 1972 when he took his first NBA coaching job as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972. Fittingly, his final game on the mic on Sunday for ESPN on ABC was in Milwaukee as the Bucks hosted the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to the game, Brown reflected on the start of his broadcasting career in 1981 with USA Network. He said that he got a call from Bucks play-by-play man Eddie Doucette to gauge his interest in the job. He accepted and called games alongside Al Albert for USA, which was the NBA's first cable broadcasting partner. THE END OF AN ERA 💫Hubie Brown reflects on his start in broadcasting... to now today being the final chapter 🥺Don't miss Hubie's final call at 2pm/et on ABC! — NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2025 When he took the broadcast table on Sunday, players from both teams including Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Bobby Portis Jr. and Brook Lopez stopped to shake Brown's hand and pay their respects. SO much respect for Hubie Brown from the Sixers/Bucks players 🫶Hubie's final call is UNDERWAY alongside Mike Breen on ABC! — NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2025 Just before tip, Brown reflected on his broadcasting career alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Breen. Legendary NBA broadcaster Hubie Brown is calling his final game today for Breen and the ESPN on ABC broadcast opened with a tribute to Hubie, which included showing his first telecast. 🏀🎙️❤️ — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 9, 2025 "I was frightened to death," Brown said after ABC ran video from his first broadcast with USA. "Who am I to be doing an NBA game? Breen then asked him what was on his mind as he prepared to call his last game. Brown credited former Bucks coach Larry Costello with preparing him for his career as a coach and a broadcaster. "Well, first of all, it's 50 years that went by so fast. You turn around and you can't believe it. That's No. 1," Brown said. "When I came with the Milwaukee Bucks with Larry Costello, I received a master's degree and a doctorate's degree in basketball in two years. They sent me off, and I was fortunate enough to go to the ABA. But I owe it all to here." Throughout Sunday's broadcast, ABC paid tribute to Brown with archive footage from his coaching and broadcasting career. Brown spent two seasons as an assistant for Costello from 1972-74 coaching Bucks teams featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. After the Bucks went to the NBA finals in 1974, Brown left to take his first head coaching job with the ABA's Kentucky Colonels. After three seasons with the Colonels that included winning the 1975 ABA championship, Brown worked four seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. He coached the Hawks to three .500-plus seasons, but was fired in 1981 after his first losing campaign on the job. Thus launched his broadcasting career with USA, which lasted a single season before he was back on an NBA sideline as the head coach of the New York Knicks. Brown coached the Knicks from 1982 until he was dismissed after a 4-12 start in 1987. Then, his broadcasting career began in earnest. Known as a teacher of the game, Brown took his acumen back to the booth, where he became a fixture of NBA broadcasts calling games for CBS and then TNT until 2002. But he wasn't done coaching. Brown returned for the final time to an NBA sideline as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies for two-plus seasons from 2002-04. He then retired from coaching 12 games into the 2004-05 season, citing health issues at 71 years old. But he wasn't done with basketball. He joined ESPN and ABC after stepping down from the Grizzlies to work as a game analyst and has called games ever since, including alongside the network's top play-by-play announcers Breen and Al Michaels. Brown was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2005. He was a two-time NBA coach of the year, once each with the the Hawks and Grizzlies, and finished his career with a 528-559 record across the ABA and NBA. He's also a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame who spent time on college sidelines as an assistant with Duke and William & Mary. He played three seasons as a reserve from Niagara from 1952-55. But for multiple generations of fans, Brown is best known for the wisdom he imparted in the broadcast booth for NBA fans watching the game in their living rooms.
