Kevin Harlan offers touching answer on never calling NBA Finals

It takes a lot of fortune and great timing to call as many consecutive championship series as Mike Breen has as the voice of the NBA.

Since getting the job at ESPN in 2006, Breen has called 20 consecutive NBA Finals as the network repeatedly paid up to retain the rights, and Breen delivered in his role well enough to keep it.

Meanwhile, many iconic NBA announcers have come and gone. Play-by-play greats such as Marv Albert, Ian Eagle, Brian Anderson, Mike Tirico, and Kevin Harlan have missed out on the opportunity to call the Finals. The setup is unique to the NBA, as the Super Bowl rotates among networks each year and championship rights often change hands.

In an interview on The Zach Lowe Show this week, Harlan opened up about his feelings about the situation, offering a touching explanation for how he and his cohort of NBA announcers avoid jealousy or disappointment by living vicariously through Breen.

“Mike (Tirico) and myself and Ian (Eagle), we’re all kind of the same age, Harlan explained.

“Because Mike has been this friend in the NBA for 30-plus years, and I’ll speak for everybody of our age group, I kind of feel like we’re there calling the Finals because Mike is such a leading voice for our group of broadcasters. He’s covered this succession of Finals that will never be equaled again, I don’t think, in the industry. So I feel like I’m right in back of him, enjoying the moment with him as his voice is chronicling these great Finals that we’ve had a chance to watch.”

Sports broadcasting can be extremely competitive. With only so many top jobs and the media ecosystem constantly evolving, it is uncommon in any sport or sector to hear such a thoughtful gesture of support from a rival announcer.

Addressing the fact that he personally will never call the NBA Finals, the 65-year-old Harlan (who took a step back with his NBA assignments this season at Prime Video) said he finds joy in watching Breen nail the opportunity and the way Breen gives back to the league with his exemplary performance each spring.

“I kind of feel like, even though I’ve done conference finals clearly, (I) will never do an NBA Final, and (I) always kind of feel like … I’ve been with him on that journey and enjoy so much that he’s the one representing our group of broadcasters in the league,” Harlan said. “So I kind of feel like I’ve done it from afar, and lived through it his eyes and voice and friendship. And I’ve always loved watching him be the flagship voice of this league.”

Despite his own longevity, the 64-year-old Breen will call this year’s NBA Finals on ABC with his fourth different set of partners in as many seasons. The Finals will begin June 3, when Breen may have the privilege of calling a championship series featuring his New York Knicks for the very first time.