Akron, Ohio, has no shortage of hometown heroes. While LeBron James and the Black Keys are the celebrities most often associated with Rubber City, Brian Windhorst will get his deserving turn in the spotlight this year.
On Tuesday, the Akron RubberDucks released their promotional schedule for the 2024 season. And on Saturday, Sept. 14, the Cleveland Guardians’ Double-A affiliate will pay homage to Windhorst, with the first 1,000 fans in attendance receiving a bobblehead of the ESPN NBA insider.
“Brian is a legend in his hometown of Akron, and we are so proud of what he’s accomplished as a sports broadcast journalist and television analyst,” RubberDucks President and General Manager Jim Pfander said in a statement. “We are excited to give away his bobblehead on Saturday, September 14 and honor his incredible contributions to the sports industry.”
The first 1,000 fans on Sept. 14 will receive a Brian Windhorst bobblehead!!
ℹ️: https://t.co/NtWD3PGUf1 pic.twitter.com/yKzk7ZmnX1
— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) February 20, 2024
A graduate of Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School — the same alma mater as the aforementioned James — Windhorst graduated from Kent State University before beginning his career covering the Cleveland Cavaliers (and James) for the Akron Beacon Journal and later, the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Following James’ departure from the Miami Heat in 2010, Windhorst took his talents to ESPN, where he has been a mainstay of the Worldwide Leader’s NBA coverage for the better part of the past 14 years.
Over his more than 20 years covering the league, Windhorst has become a fan favorite thanks to his vast knowledge of its inner workings and his unique- and sometimes cryptic- way of sharing it. While it remains unclear which pose he’ll be striking when it comes to his bobblehead, it would hardly be a shock to see it mimic him holding his fingers in the air while waxing poetic about the future of the Utah Jazz during his infamous appearance on First Take in 2022.
