The Denver Nuggets partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to welcome 16-year-old Levi Lips to the broadcast Thursday night, creating an unforgettable experience during their game against the Phoenix Suns.
Prior to the matchup, Levi announced the starting lineups in front of a crowd of 19,500 and was featured on Altitude TV’s pregame show. Then, in the second quarter, Levi got behind the mic to provide play-by-play on the television broadcast.
“So Levi, you wanna be a broadcaster – at the professional level? You want my job don’t you,” Nuggets play-by-play voice Chris Marlowe asked.
“Yeah, exactly,” Levi quickly answered to Marlowe and color analyst Katy Winge. “I would love to do play-by-play.”
“Boy, you’re gonna have to cool your jets a little my friend,” the 70-year-old Marlowe joked, prompting Levi to say he still plans on going to college first.
Marlowe might not be ready to pass the mic off on a full-time basis just yet, but the Nuggets announcer did give Levi the opportunity to call a few minutes of the game. And after Levi confidently rejected Marlowe’s data board, he quickly shook off any nerves he might have and settled right in to call a big three-pointer from DeMarcus Cousins.
According to the Levi’s Prayer Warriors Facebook page, Lips underwent surgery in 2019 to remove a brain tumor. During the operation, Levi suffered a stroke and was paralyzed on his left side, causing him to require physical and occupational therapy to regain function.
Now a senior at Arapahoe High School just outside of Denver, Levi plans to attend Utah State where he’ll major in broadcast journalism next year.
[Altitude TV]
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com