Eric Collins (born June 16, 1969) is an Americanplay-by-playsports announcer, currently the voice of theNBA'sCharlotte Hornets onFanDuel Sports Network Southeast[1][2] and play-by-play announcer forNBA on Prime onAmazon Prime Video along withIan Eagle,Kevin Harlan and Michael Grady.
Born inCleveland, Ohio, Collins is a graduate ofSt. Lawrence University. He earned a master's degree fromSyracuse University'sS. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1992.[3]
In 2002, Collins filled in forMike Tirico on College Football onABC along with analystIrving Fryar.
From 2009 through 2013, Collins served as the part-time television voice of theLos Angeles Dodgers, taking over the duties of Dodger radio voiceCharley Steiner, who was the team's play-by-play announcer on road telecasts calling games east ofPhoenix.[4][5]
Collins' broadcasting experience also includes play-by-play forNBC Sports' coverage of theUSA Baseball team during the Beijing2008 Summer Olympics,[5] as well as callingESPN's coverage ofcollege football,college basketball, and college baseball and softball Super Regional tournaments andWomen's College World Series games (WCWS in 2005 and 2006); part-time announcing for theChicago White Sox in 2004 and 2008; and working inMinor League Baseball for theSchaumburg Flyers andRochester Red Wings.
He also worked as a sideline reporter forChicago Bulls broadcasts from 1997 to 2002. Collins has broadcast every game of theWorld Cup of Softball onESPN since its inception in 2005, with partnerMichele Smith. In August 2010, theBig Ten Network announced that Collins would handle play-by-play duties in college football and basketball.[6] He also does play-by-play announcing forFox College Hoops.[7] He was the announcer for theStephen F. Austin Lumberjacks men's basketball's win overDuke inCameron Indoor Stadium on November 26, 2019. His call for the buzzer beating layup by Nathan Bain was "BAAAIINNN... YES! THE LUMBERJACKS HAVE DONE IT!"[8]
On August 27, 2015, Collins was named the new television play-by-play announcer for the Charlotte Hornets, replacingSteve Martin, who returned to his original role as the team's radio play-by-play voice. Collins was joined by former HornetDell Curry andStephanie Ready, the NBA's first full-time female analyst.[9][10][11]
In 2021, Collins called the 2021The Basketball Tournament alongside long-time TBTR analystFran Fraschilla.[12]
Collins returned to football as he was the announcer for FS1's 2022 coverage ofDuke vs.Northwestern on September 10, 2022.[13]
In 2025, Collins was added to their broadcast team prior to the2025-26 season forNBA on Prime, joiningIan Eagle,Kevin Harlan and Michael Grady as play-by-play announcers.[14] On October 5, he worked onNFL on Fox's coverage ofMiami Dolphins–Carolina Panthers, his first time calling aNational Football League game.[15]
In 2024, Collins was profiled in a short film by Joey Garfield entitled "It's On Like a Pot of Neckbones: Inside the Mind of Eric Collins." The film highlights Collins' rigorous preparation and the unique charts he employs with the help of his daughters.