Thursday, 16 April 2026

Chick Hearn

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
Sport(s): Basketball, Football, Boxing, Golf & Bowling
Statistics & Accolades: National Sports Media Hall of Fame
3x National Sportscaster of the Year
Curt Gowdy Media Award
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Honored by the Los Angeles Lakers
1x Cable Ace Award Winner
National Radio Hall of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
In the history of the great sport of basketball, few have added to the verbiage more than Chick Hearn.

Hearn became the primary broadcaster for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1961 and held that role until 2002, when he died shortly after the Lakers won the title. Through that period, Hearn called 3,338 consecutive games for the club, many of which were simulcast on television and radio, making him the first to do so regularly.

Hearn’s impact on basketball lexicon is beyond iconic. He was the man who coined “Slam Dunk”, “The Charity Stripe,” and “Garbage Time” among dozens of other “Chickisms”. Every time you watch a basketball game, it can be guaranteed that you hear something that Hearn coined.

His impact on the sport of basketball was so profound that he not only won the Curt Gowdy Media Award, but he was also inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 as a primary member, making him the first broadcaster to earn this honor.

Hearn also broadcast games for USC Football, boxing (most notably the 1971 Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier fight), multiple U.S. Opens, and was the longtime host of Bowling for Dollars.

We are proud to nominate Chick Hearn for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

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