Marv Albert | |
|---|---|
 Albert calling a game for TNT in December 2008 | |
| Born | Marvin Philip Aufrichtig (1941-06-12)June 12, 1941 (age 84)[1] Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Syracuse University New York University |
| Years active | 1963–2021 |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 4, includingKenny |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Genre | Play-by-play |
| Sports | |
Marv Albert (bornMarvin Philip Aufrichtig; June 12, 1941) is an American formersportscaster. Honored for his work by theBasketball Hall of Fame, he was commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball". From1967 to2004, he was also known as "the voice of theNew York Knicks". Albert was best known nationally for his work as the lead announcer for both theNBA on NBC andNBA games onTNT. In 2015, he was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
In addition to working extensively in both professional and college basketball, he has experience calling a variety of other sports, such as American football, ice hockey, horse racing, boxing, and tennis. Albert has called theplay-by-play of eightSuper Bowls, nineNBA Finals, and sevenStanley Cup Finals. He has also called theWimbledon Tennis Championships forTNT withJim Courier andMary Carillo and has worked as a co-host and reporter for twoWorld Series (1986 and1988).
Albert hails from a family of broadcasters. His brothers,Al andSteve Albert, and a son,Kenny, are also play-by-play sports commentators.
Albert was born to a Jewish family inBrooklyn, New York City, where he went toAbraham Lincoln High School.[2] His family members owned a grocery store on Brighton Beach Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets known as Aufrichtig. He attendedSyracuse University'sNewhouse School of Public Communications from 1960 through 1963.[3] In 1962, he served as the voice of the AAASyracuse Chiefs.[4] He graduated fromNew York University in 1965.[5]
After getting his start by being a ball boy for theNew York Knicks, Albert worked his firstKnicks game as a broadcaster on January 27, 1963, onWCBS Radio. He was filling in for his mentor,Marty Glickman, who was away in Europe. The game was against theCeltics at theBoston Garden. Beginning in1967 and lasting 37 years, Albert served as the voice of the New York Knicks onradio and television before being let go byJames L. Dolan, the chairman of theMSG Network andCablevision, after Albert criticized the team's poor play on-air in2004. It was said that Albert's high salary was also a factor. His son,Kenny Albert, has been a part-time play-by-play announcer for the Knicks since2009, filling in whenever the elder Albert's successor,Mike Breen, is unavailable.
Albert was the lead play-by-play announcer for theNBA on NBC for most of its run from1990 to2002, calling every NBA Finals during that timeframe except for1998,1999, and2000, which were called byBob Costas in the wake of Albert's arrest forsexual assault.[6][7] Albert resumed his previous position for the2000–2001 season and called Game 4 of the2002 NBA Finals, which was the final NBA telecast on NBC.[8][9][10][11] During his time on NBC, he continued as the lead play-by-play man for theNew York Knicks on localMSG Network telecasts and began calling national games forTNT in 1999, as well.[12] When he regained the lead broadcaster position on NBC, he continued to call play-by-play for both networks until the end of NBC's coverage in 2002.[13]
Albert continued to be the leadplay-by-play announcer for NBA games onTNT, a position he assumed in1999.[12] Indeed,TNT had become his primary commitment ever since his longtime employer NBC lost the NBA broadcasting rights in2002 toABC andESPN, which may have played a role in his departure from the Knicks' broadcast booth.[14] The Knicks reportedly wanted Albert to accept a salary commensurate with his reduced Knicks schedule but also weren't happy about Albert making what Knicks management felt were overly critical comments about their team despite their losing record.
In basketball, his most famous call is his simple "Yes!" for a basket, rendered in many variations of volume and length depending on the situation.
On April 17, 2002, shortly after calling a game between theIndiana Pacers andPhiladelphia 76ers on TNT, both Albert and color commentatorMike Fratello were injured in a limo accident inTrenton, New Jersey. Albert sustained faciallacerations, aconcussion, and asprained ankle. The2002 NBA Playoffs was set to begin two days later, with Albert scheduled to call multiple games that week.Bob Costas filled in for those games, and Albert returned to call Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals between theDallas Mavericks andSacramento Kings.[15][16][17]
On May 15, 2021, it was reported that Albert had planned on retiring following the2021 NBA playoffs.[18][19] The news became official two days later.[4][20] His last game called was Game 6 of the2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, between theMilwaukee Bucks andAtlanta Hawks.[21]
In2005, Albert officially became the lead play-by-play man for theNew Jersey Nets franchise started calling their games on theYES Network, often teaming withBrooklyn native and NBA veteranMark Jackson.[22][23] With that, the Nets had employed all three Albert brothers during the franchise's history; Al started his broadcast career with the Nets during theirABA days, while Steve called Nets games during the late 1970s and 1980s. Beginning with the2008–09 season, he was also paired with his TNT broadcast colleagueMike Fratello on the YES Network. However, with the Nets' struggles in the2009–10 season, Nets management relegated him Albert to secondary play-by-play and was replaced byIan Eagle. In 2011, Albert left the YES Network to joinCBS Sports for NFL and NCAA tournament coverage.
Albert hosts a basketball-focused interviewshow onNBA TV, which also airs on YES.
Albert also hosted theDazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersVHS tape byNBA Entertainment in 1988.
Since 2003, Albert has also been providing the play-by-play voice on theNBA Live video-game series fromEA Sports, a role he fulfilled untilNBA Live 10.
From 2011 to 2015, Albert announcedNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament games, the result of longtime tournament broadcasterCBS handing off some of its coverage to Turner Sports.
In February 2016, Albert and Turner Sports announced that he would no longer call NCAA Tournament basketball games, stating that calling four games in one day during the first round, and a total of six matches in three days during the first two rounds, was too much for his 74-year-old voice to handle. Albert said that he "felt it was the wiser move to go primarily NBA at this stage."[24]
In 2022, Albert appeared in thePlayoffs on NBA Lane short film alongsideESPN sideline reporterMalika Andrews.[25]
In addition to the Knicks, Albert had a lengthy tenure (beginning in1965) calling the games of anotherMadison Square Garden tenant, theNew York Rangers. He handled the radio call of the Rangers'Stanley Cup-clinching victory in 1994.
He also famously coined the nickname "Red Light" for radio analystSal Messina, a former Rangers goaltender. His signature play-by-play phrase was "kick save and a beauty."
Over his years as the Rangers' broadcaster, Albert missed a large number of games for other commitments. Many other broadcasters filled in, including several who later served long stints for other NHL teams, includingHowie Rose,Mike Emrick, andJohn Kelly, as well as Albert's brothersAl andSteve. It was his absence from Game 7 of theRangers–Devils Eastern Conference Finals game that led to Rose's famedMatteau, Matteau, Matteau call.[26]
Albert left the Rangers after the1994–95 season. At the same time, Rose took the job as a play-by-play announcer of theNew York Islanders. Albert's son,Kenny, replaced him and had been the radio voice of the Rangers until being promoted to the television role for the2025-26 NHL season. Kenny also calls NHL and Olympic ice hockey forNBC Sports and has served as the national radio voice of theStanley Cup Finals since 2016.
From1973 to1976, Albert called radio broadcasts ofNew York Giants football games, succeedingMarty Glickman after the latter started broadcasting for theNew York Jets.
Albert was also the lead play-by-play voice of theWestwood One radio network'sNFL coverage from the2002 to the2009 seasons,[27] callingMonday Night Football as well as numerousplayoff games and everySuper Bowl from2003 to2010. On June 4, 2010, it was announced that Albert was leaving hisNFL on Westwood One duties.[28] He was succeeded byKevin Harlan.
On June 6, 2011, it was announced Albert was joiningCBS Sports to call play-by-play forThe NFL on CBS.[27][29] Albert was usually teamed withRich Gannon on broadcasts.
On May 29, 2014, Albert stepped down from callingThe NFL on CBS to focus more on his basketball duties for TNT and CBS.[30]
OtherNBC Sports duties included play-by-play announcing for theNFL (by1983, Albert was the No. 2 play-by-play man behindDick Enberg, usually alternating the secondary NFL role year to year withDon Criqui),college basketball (teaming withBucky Waters onBig East/ECAC games),horse racing,boxing (often working withFerdie Pacheco and subsequently,Sugar Ray Leonard when NBC relaunched boxing under thePremier Boxing Champions umbrella),[31]NHLAll-Star Games (Albert called the NHL All-Star Game withJohn Davidson on NBC from1990 to1994), andMajor League Baseball, as well as hosting baseballstudio and pre-game shows (including NBC's coverage of the1986 and1988 World Series alongside Bob Costas). He also spent 13 years as the sports director of the network's flagship station,WNBC-TV, in New York.
Albert also called regular-season and playoff NHL games for the syndicatedNHL Network in the1976–77 season, and, from 2000 to 2002, he helped call TNT's coverage of theWimbledon Championships tennis tournament.
Albert made 53[32] guest appearances onDavid Letterman's late-night talk show forNBC andCBS. Each time Albert appeared, he brought with him a group of clips featuring sportsbloopers and outstanding plays, which he narrated and dubbed the "Albert Achievement Awards". The music accompanying the bloopers was "Twelfth Street Rag".
Albert was placed as No. 14 onDavid J. Halberstam's list of Top 50 All-Time Network Television Sports Announcers on Yahoo! Sports.[33]
He appears on "Perfect Sense, Part II", onRoger Waters' 1992 album,Amused to Death, commentating on a military attack in the manner of a sports report.
Albert's voice is imitated in the popular video gameNBA Jam. The announcer was modeled on Albert, although there is no mention of Albert in the game and the announcer was actually voiced by Tim Kitzrow.[34]
Jack Black and his bandmateKyle Gass derived the name of their band 'Tenacious D' from a term used by Albert to describe the tenacious defense of the New York Knicks in 1994.
Albert was accused of sexually assaulting a 42-year-old woman in 1997.[42] The woman accused Albert of throwing her onto a bed, biting her, then forcing her to performoral sex after a February 12, 1997 argument in hisPentagon City hotel room. DNA testing linked Albert to genetic material taken from the bite marks and from semen in her underwear.[43] During the trial, another woman, Patricia Masden, testified that Albert had bitten her on two separate occasions, in Miami in 1993 and in Dallas in 1994, which she viewed as unwanted sexual advances.[44] Masden, a VIP liaison forHyatt Hotels, claimed that Albert called her to help him send afax from his Dallas hotel room, where she found him wearing "white panties andgarter belt".[45] Albert's defense team said that the judge blocked most of what they wanted to bring to trial in Albert's defense, prompting them to accept a plea deal from the prosecutors. Albert pleaded guilty tomisdemeanor assault andbattery charges, while afelony charge of forciblesodomy was dropped.[46][47] He was given a 12-monthsuspended sentence.[48] The conviction was expunged from his record a year later, in accordance with the terms of his sentencing.[49] In an interview withBarbara Walters, Albert maintained that his accuser had requested he bite her. He also denied her accusation that he had requested she bring another man into their sexual affair. He described her recorded conversation with the police on the night of the incident as "anAcademy Award performance".[42]
NBC – for which Albert worked for over 20 years – fired him hours after he entered his guilty plea.[46] His last NFL broadcast forNBC before being fired was the 1997Baltimore Ravens–New York Giants game alongsideRandy Cross andLen Berman.[50][51]Bob Costas took over for Albert onNBA on NBC in the1997–98 NBA season.[52]Tom Hammond would eventually move up to the #2 team[clarification needed] (behindDick Enberg,Paul Maguire, andPhil Simms), whileDan Hicks would primarily call games with Hammond's old partner,Jim Kelly.[citation needed][relevant?] NBC rehired Albert less than two years after firing him, with Chairman ofNBC SportsDick Ebersol stating that, "Marv has done what he had to do" since being fired.[53]
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–1997 2000–2004 | New York Knicks | Play-by-play | MSG Network |
| 1969–1988 | College Basketball on NBC | Play-by-play | NBC |
| 1973–1977 | New York Giants | Play-by-play (radio) | WNEW |
| 1976–1977 | NHL Network | Play-by-play | HTN |
| 1977–1997 | NFL on NBC | Play-by-play | NBC |
| 1979–1989 | Major League Baseball on NBC | Host Play-by-play (backup) | |
| 1984–1990 | NBA on TBS | Play-by-play | TBS |
| 1989–1994 | NHL on NBC | Play-by-play (lead) | NBC |
| 1990–1997 2000–2002 | NBA on NBC | Play-by-play (lead) | |
| 1999–2021 | NBA on TNT | Play-by-play (lead) | TNT |
| 2000–2002 | Tennis on TNT | Play-by-play | |
| 2002–2009 | Monday Night Football | Play-by-play (radio) | CBS Sports Radio |
| 2005–2011 | New Jersey Nets | Play-by-play | YES Network |
| 2011–2015 | NCAA March Madness | Play-by-play | CBS/TNT/TBS |
| 2011–2014 | NFL on CBS | Play-by-play | CBS |
Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., [...] Marv Albert went there.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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