Kevin Harlan has become known during his NBA broadcasts on TNT for attacking advertisements with the same ferocity as his signature game calls. But on Tuesday night, Harlan came across an ad read that made even him nervous.
Calling a marquee NBA battle between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, Harlan was promoting a new video game called “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.” While reading off the title during a free-throw line break from Kristaps Porzingis, Harlan pushed through the ad before worrying about the violence of what he had just read.
“Do the impossible in ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,'” Harlan said. “Can I say that? When it launches on Feb. 2. It feels like I’ve broken an FCC rule right there.”
"It feels like I've broken an FCC rule"
Kevin Harlan was pretty nervous doing an ad read for 'Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League' on TNT last night pic.twitter.com/addlco5YSQ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 31, 2024
Harlan’s ad reads are legendary.
Last year alone, Harlan got hoops fans’ attention with goofy promos for DayQuil, Cousins Subs and Loteria Loca on CBS.
While the NBA playoffs and March Madness may be his time to shine, the NBA regular season is a great warmup for Harlan doing commercials. All that time calling the NFL on the radio has clearly honed Harlan’s ad-read skills, and his bosses must love the spice he brings to what can be very boring parts of a sports broadcast.
Given that the game comes from Warner Bros. Games, owned by the same corporation as Harlan’s employer, TNT, it’s even better.
If he’s not careful, the video game execs might recruit him to do some voice work for the next “Suicide Squad” installment.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.