AA Q&A: Kevin Harlan

AA: I think you do a great job on the radio, especially when a play has finished developing and you have to rapidly go through all the details, almost like an auctioneer, and use the inflection of your voice to emphasize the drama and the action.

KH: Well, thank you. I appreciate it. And like I said, there are so many great broadcasters, far, far better than I am on radio. But I do like the challenge and it really does invigorate me to get in there and try to do the best I can. It’s a work in progress, as I always say, and I listen to guys as I’m driving myself and shake my head and say “god, that was so good” and just admire so many different people that are doing it, because it’s a hard job to do it the right way. And there are so many out there that do it so well.

I do love the challenge. And I think when you’ve been in the business for a couple of decades and you’re moving along with your career, those challenges are invigorating. And I do love the chance that I was given to get that job and I do everything to hold on to it, because it’s an important part for me.

Some guys don’t care about radio at all. I grew up thinking I’d always be in radio. I grew up wanting to be in radio. Those were my first thrills, like the Jim Simpsons. Although I saw a lot of him on television, I heard a lot of him on radio as well. And I was just always captivated by the way these guys create that picture in my mind and use the theater of the mind to really provoke what I think was happening but what I was seeing in my mind’s eye. And I really was captivated by that element of it.

AA: Moving forward to another medium you broadcast on, a lot of people play NBA 2K16 and maybe not think about the work you put into it. What’s that process like, putting your voice to a game that millions of kids around the world, and even NBA players, play?

KH: Well first of all, it’s an honor to have been chosen by the visual concepts people who put out 2K. I’ve done it now, I think, since 2005 or 2006. I’ve done it many years, so they’ve got a lot of my words and things in their archives [laughs] that they probably go back and use for games that are being played now and games that are to come.

For them to select me was just a real honor. And I kind of really didn’t grasp it, and I was talking with a CBS producer one time and he says “you know what you’re indirectly doing?” And I said “no, what?”

He said, the kids that play this game, that’s the voice they’re going to grow up with. They’re going to grow up with your voice doing basketball, and doing NBA basketball. He said, that’s an investment that I know you don’t think about right now, but when those five, six, seven, eight-year-old kids become, 17, 18, 20, 25-year-old people, that’s the voice they’re going to associate with. I never really thought of it that way, but the longer I do it, I guess the more I appreciate that comment and what that would mean.

Now I would never think of myself as the voice of the sport. That’s left to Marv Albert and Mike Breen over at ESPN. Marv is the gold standard in this business and always will be, and Mike is the new guy coming in who’s going to take that some day and be right there with Marv. But it has been kind of a unique experience to be in the mix and to do that game and at the same time, certainly the chance to work with Turner and be a part of the TNT family since 1996. So I’ve been very lucky in that regard. By sheer luck and blessing, I’ve been able to get those opportunities and it’s been a very nice relationship with the 2K people.

The real stars of that video game though, to be quite honest, are the guys that put it together. The brain power and the creative genius that they put into that is unbelievable. And I just know a fraction of what they do, just from what I’ve been told. But that’s the real genius of the game.

I sit in a studio and record my lines. I may do between 40 and 80 hours a year, it just kind of depends on what their need is. And I’ll do it in various venues. When Steve Kerr was doing it, I’d fly down to San Diego and do it with him. When Clark Kellogg was doing it, is doing it, I’ve done some recording with him in Columbus, Ohio, where he lives. I’ve done a lot in my town, in Kansas City. I’ve gone out, actually, to San Francisco and done some out there. We’re the voices you hear, but, boy those guys are so smart. They are brilliant in what they do, putting that thing together. It’s amazing what they do. I’m just in awe of how talented they are.

AA: Throughout your career, I’m sure you have your favorite calls, moments and memories. What have been your favorites that come to mind right away?

KH: With TNT, there have been so many. I don’t know if it’s been a moment, but it’s probably been various players I’ve seen. The games, they tend to blend together because I’ve been doing it for so long. You might remember snippets of games here and there.

Like we did Game 7 last year, the Clippers and San Antonio in the first round. That Game 7 was a highly rated game, it was an important game for Turner Broadcasting, and the game was just great. It came to a seventh game with these two teams and that was, recently, one of the more memorable things I’ve done.

But calling Jordan and his games, and every year of Kobe’s career, and then watching LeBron come in the league and calling his games. Watching Steph Curry shoot. I kind of remember more of that individual stuff than I do anything else.

When I was working with Danny Ainge and John Thompson years ago, we did the Miami-New York Knicks series back when Riley was coaching and that was really enjoyable. I worked with Doc Rivers for a couple of years, I loved working with Doc. And Doug Collins, he’s the smartest guy in basketball I’ve ever been around. I worked seven years at Turner with Doug Collins, and I learned so much about the game and about preparation with Doug.

So it’s really just kinda been snippets like that. I really don’t know if I can remember anything more. If you would say “what about in 2005 when so and so hit that jump shot?” Yeah, I would remember that. That was a great moment. There have been so many, it’s really hard to single out one.

I’ve never done a Finals. I’ve never done a Conference Finals. I’ve never done an NBA Finals, probably won’t. I’m sure those probably are the biggest memories for guys like Marv and Mike who could sit there and say “oh yeah, Game 7 of that series, that Finals series, or Game 4 of that series,” they could probably come up with some bigger games than I could. But I have been lucky enough to call a lot of big games and big time players, which I’ve really enjoyed.

AA: Any NCAA Tournament games that come to mind?

KH: Yeah, in the tournament we’ve been doing games for so long that they all meld together. Duke losing to VCU a couple of years ago in Buffalo, that was a big win. Duke was Duke, and VCU with Eric Maynor hit that running jump-shot in the lane to beat Duke. That was a pretty big game.

All those games have got something special. The Wisconsin-Arizona game, the top seed against the two-seed in the West, and we did that game out in Los Angeles and that was a good final. Again, you more remember the coaches you come in contact with and the players and the schools and going to the various campuses. I’ve always enjoyed that so much.

This past weekend, I saw John Thompson, the father of John Thompson III, who coaches Georgetown. John and I were teammates together at Turner for four years and I love John. We had a nice conversation for about 20 minutes before the game, and just seeing him brought back a bunch of memories. I saw Danny Ainge last year on the road someplace, and that brought back great memories, seeing Danny.

I see Doc all the time coaching the Clippers and when I see him, I don’t think of him as my coach. I think of him as my partner. And the same with Doug Collins when I turn on my TV and see him on ABC or ESPN. There’s Doug, and Doug and I became very close in the seven years that we were together.

So those are the things I think I probably remember more than the individual games. There have been so many great games, so many great individual performances. But when you see people you’ve worked with and shared those with, that’s really one of the great parts about being in this business.

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