Marv Albert to drop the mic after 6-decade Hall of Fame career: report

No matter how old (or young) you are, you’ve probably uttered one of Marv Albert’s famous phrases that he coined and/or popularized over the years. You may have not even realized it.

“He’s on fire!”

“From way downtown!”

“With authority!”

“Gar-bage time!”

Even though other broadcasters have taken up some of Albert’s phrases, there’s a sense of authenticity when they come out of Albert’s mouth that others just can’t seem to match.

Well, Albert will be shouting his final “YES!” very soon.

The New York Post reported that Marv Albert will call it quits after this season. Albert, who turns 80 next month, has been calling professional games since he was 21. After close to 60 years, Albert has had several iconic moments including calling Michael Jordan’s poster over Patrick Ewing in Game 3 of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals (a memory that’s sure to make my boss wince); Robert Horry’s 3-point dagger at the end of Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals; being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and — most importantly — being the voice of the most iconic basketball video game of the ‘00s, NBA Live. He’s also called either the NBA Finals or one of the Conference Finals each of the last 17 seasons.

However, over the course of his career, even Albert had his less-than-fantastic moments. In 1997, Albert was fired from NBC after pleading guilty in a sexual assault case brought by Vanessa Perhach. Albert complied with the court’s ruling, and agreed to get counseling in order to stay out of jail. Albert found himself again calling games in 1998, when he signed on to anchor the MSG Sports Desk and do radio play-by-play for the New York Knicks. A few months later the court determined he had fulfilled his mandated requirements and all charges were dropped.

Despite the charges, and the disappointment and shock many felt at the time, Albert will be remembered fondly by many, across generations.

TNT has been reaching out to NBA personnel in order to pay tribute to the Brooklyn native, according to Andrew Marchand’s report. TNT also announced on Thursday this week that Albert’s broadcast partner, Chris Webber, would not be joining Albert for the 2021 playoffs, and his contract would not be renewed for next season, but Marchand called the two departures “unrelated.”