Kevin Harlan will be on the play-by-play call for Game 2 of the Western Conference final between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, Friday night’s broadcast may be one of the last NBA games the veteran broadcaster calls for TNT.
Amid reports that Warner Bros. Discovery was outbid by NBC for its NBA rights package in the league’s next media deal, Harlan appeared on the “SI Media with Jimmy Traina“Podcast to talk about the possibility of TNT losing the NBA after a nearly 40-year partnership and how this development could affect his broadcasting career.
“There’s nothing I can do, so I guess my immediate feeling is I want to do the best job I can right now,” said Harlan, who has called TNT broadcasts since 1996. “I control the things I can control and that’s my performance and do the best I can for the next games, regardless of how many games are left in this series.
Harlan went on to explain how meaningful the NBA is to him, as it was the first sport he worked in after college, calling broadcasts for the Kansas City Kings.
During his career, Harlan was also the lead announcer for the Timberwolves’ TV broadcasts for the first nine seasons of the franchise’s existence, from 1989-98. The team recently honored Harlan before Game 4 of their second-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets.
Kevin Harlan, the original voice of the Timberwolves, was honored during Sunday’s playoff game as part of the 35th anniversary celebration. pic.twitter.com/SBF58tgonf
– Horrible ad (@awfulannouncing) May 13, 2024
It’s certainly possible — if not likely — that Harlan could be considered one of the top voices on NBC or Amazon when those channels begin airing NBA games in the 2025-26 season. He calls NFL and NCAA tournament games for CBS (and for Westwood One on the radio), and while working for CBS and NBC may seem unusual for a broadcaster, it would be for two different sports.
However, Harlan is a beloved voice for basketball and football fans. NBC or Amazon hiring him to call in NBA broadcasts would seem like an easy move. But broadcasting is a business and contracts may not be that simple, especially when they involve a rival over-the-air network. Still, Harlan hopes he can continue calling NBA games.
“I’d be lying if I said the NBA didn’t have a very special place in my heart.” Harlan told Traina“and I hope in some way to continue with Turner and if not with Turner, we will let fate guide me.”
