Dick Lipe has been working as the statistician on Boston Celtics TV broadcasts for a long, long time.
In his first year on the job, in fact, the then 20-something Lipe had to compile stats on the Celtics ‘new rookie sensation … a guy named Larry Bird.
Almost 45 years later, Bird is long retired, but Lipe is still going strong on NBC Sports Boston broadcasts. In fact, he’s outlasted another Hall of Famer, NBC Sports Boston play-by-play man Mike Gorman, who is preparing to step down after 43 seasons.
WEEI 93.7 did a profile on Lipe Tuesday, and the story makes one thing clear — Lipe is one of a kind.
Gorman, who was inducted into the media wing of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, recalls that first meeting with Lipe before a game in 1981, when he offered to be the broadcast’s “stat man” after serving in that role a year earlier.
“I knew halfway through [that] game. I’m going, ‘I’m never letting this guy go because he’s firing notes at me like crazy,'” Gorman said in the WEEI profile, H/T Justin Turpin, Audacy.com.
“He's responsible for 70% of what I say. He is. He really is.”
For over 40 years, @DickLipe has been a mastermind behind the scenes of the Celtics broadcast.
Helping shape the Hall of Fame career of Mike Gorman, Lipe is a Hall of Famer himself.@WEEI ⤵️https://t.co/RMyPP4WiMz
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) April 9, 2024
Gorman says he’s thankful to have Lipe at his side during broadcasts.
“He’s responsible for 70% of what I say,” Gorman said.
Lipe said Gorman has always been quick to praise his work, including during the broadcasters Hall of Fame induction.
“He’s tremendous to work with,” Lipe told Forbes.com in 2022. “He’s always giving me credit whether it’s a postgame thank you or he’ll mention my name a couple of times during the course of a game, giving me credit for this stat or that stat. I’m always trying to look for trends, things that haven’t happened or rarely happened, something I think the fans that are watching would be interested in.”
“He’s the best. I mean, I’ve been fortunate,” Gorman said. “I’ve worked for ESPN. I’ve worked for NBC. I’ve done the Olympics. I’ve done all these things. He’s the best I’ve ever been with. … He’s just the best. He’s like the Larry Bird of stats guys.”
Bentley’s work on Celtics games is even more remarkable given he’s always prioritized his “day job,” as the longtime sports information director at Bentley University. He stepped down after 46 years as the full-time SID in 2023 but still handles various duties.
“Bentley always took precedence,” Lipe said. “I would do the Celtics on my free nights. At that point, I was just doing the games. I wasn’t doing research. So it was just, show up for the game and go back and work Bentley.”
So while Gorman is headed off into retirement, Lipe told Audacy he’s returning next season.
“I’m planning to as long as they’ll have me. I’m getting paid to sit in the best seat in the house,” Lipe said.
