Tony Reali shares special moment with ‘Around the Horn’ panelist’s son

Ask anyone who has worked on Around the Horn at ESPN, and they will tell you the show is a family.

If that seems strange for a show that shoots remotely for just 30 minutes each weekday, take note of the message sent this week from host Tony Reali to Langston Dennis, the son of regular ATH panelist David Dennis Jr. As the show nears its finale next month, Dennis brought Langston along for his final visit to the studio in Atlanta where he shoots ATH.

Knowing it might be their final moment to connect, “Uncle” Tony Reali had some special words of encouragement for video game-loving Langston.

“You could come up with the next game, you could code the next game, you could play the next game and make money like that,” Reali said. “I want you to promise me that you’re going to follow your dreams, whatever they may be. And that you can be the best Langston in the world.”

In response, Langston offered some words of encouragement to Reali and the producers.

“Even though y’all are about to get off of doing this (show), you’re still going to always have the memories,” Langston said.

It’s hitting me that we’ve got a month left of @AroundtheHorn. When my boy is out flog school he comes by the set so he’s been able to see everyone and his uncle @TonyReali from time to time

Yesterday was his last trip to the set so he and Uncle Tony shared words of inspiration pic.twitter.com/hejESdwZft

— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) April 29, 2025

Reali re-shared the video on X and added some more context about what makes ATH special.

“Langston Dennis, what a young human! Hearing young people talk about their dreams and showing their heart is the most beautiful thing in the world,” Reali wrote. “Learning about your emotions is a lifelong journey and we should all be like Langston!”

I haven’t posted videos like this often – there have been many- and I would never do it without David signing off, and he did!- but this, THIS, is one of the reasons I continued to do Around the Horn for all these years. For the kids! For family! And for this feeling!

So now… https://t.co/xyAQOeE1k6

— Tony Reali (@TonyReali) April 29, 2025

Sports media can be a challenging job to experience with family. Unless you score free tickets and bring family members to a big game, most of the work happens in cramped studios or at a desk. Despite often being very famous, sports commentators aren’t always extroverts out among their audience.

However, with small moments like these that Reali prioritizes as host, ATH has fostered an environment where panelists enjoy their work and care for one another.