Marv Albert is an American sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as “the voice of basketball”. From 1967–2004, he was also known as “the voice of the New York Knicks”.
Albert has called the play-by-play of six Super Bowls, NBA Finals, and seven Stanley Cup Finals. He has also called the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for TNT with Jim Courier and Mary Carillo. He also worked as a co-host and reporter for two World Series (1986 and 1988).
Albert currently works for Turner Sports and CBS Sports. He serves as lead announcer for NBA games on TNT, has formerly called regional NFL games on CBS, and also calls NCAA tournament action for CBS and Turner.
For 37 years beginning in 1967, Albert was the voice of the New York Knicks on radio and television (getting his start by being a ball boy for the Knicks before getting his first break on New York radio by sportscaster Marty Glickman) before being let go by James L. Dolan, the chairman of the MSG Network and Cablevision, after Albert criticized the Knicks’ poor play on-air in 2004. His son Kenny Albert has been a part-time play-by-play announcer for the Knicks since 2009, whenever the older Albert’s successor Mike Breen (whom he later followed on the NBA on NBC broadcasts and now works on ESPN and ABC aside from his role at MSG) is unavailable.
Albert has gained credibility and popularity among younger television viewers during his 126 [8] guest appearances on David Letterman’s late night talk shows for NBC and CBS. Each time Albert appears, he brings with him a group of clips featuring sports bloopers and outstanding plays, which he narrates and dubs the “Albert Achievement Awards”. The music accompanying the bloopers is “12th Street Rag”.
Albert was placed as number 14 on David J. Halberstam’s list of Top 50 All Time Network Television Sports Announcers on Yahoo! Sports.
In 1992, he appeared as himself on Roger Waters’ rock album Amused to Death, giving a mock commentary on the destruction of an oil rig on the song “Perfect Sense, Part II”.
An “Albert Achievement Awards” video was released in 1993. It featured cameos by Mike Fratello, Ahmad Rashad, Charles Barkley, David Letterman, O.J. Simpson, Bob Costas, and Tom Brokaw.
Albert became the first guest commentator in MTV’s Celebrity Death Match cartoon series. He appeared in the 1998 pilot episode before being replaced with Stacey Cornbred.
Albert was briefly mentioned in the 2006 film Grandma’s Boy.
Albert also appeared as a special guest on The Simpsons, in the Season 20 episode “The Burns and the Bees” in 2008.
Albert’s voice is imitated in the popular video game NBA Jam. The announcer was modeled on Albert although there is no mention of Albert in the game and was actually voiced by Tim Kitzrow.
Cable ACE Award – six times.
Curt Gowdy Media Award – awarded by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 1994.
American Sportscasters Association Sportscaster of the Year (Play-by-Play) – 1996. Other honorees included Sportscaster of the Year (Studio Host) Chris Berman, Hall of Fame inductee Jack Whitaker, Sports Legend Joe Frazier and Honorary Sportscaster Dr. Henry Kissinger.
Emmy Award – for national sports: five times; for New York: three times.
Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame – inducted in 2006.
National Jewish Museum Sports Hall of Fame – inducted in 1992.
New York State Sportscaster of the Year – twenty times.
National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame – inducted in 2014.
World Liberty TV, Team had the pleasure of interviewing Mr Albert as he was getting ready to be inducted in The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame class of 2015, see more right here in our World Liberty TV, Sports Channel .
