When it comes to famous announcing catchphrases in sports, there may be none better than the ultra rare double “BANG!” from beloved NBA lead announcer Mike Breen. And Steph Curry received the honor for the third time on Christmas Day.
The Golden State Warriors staged a furious late comeback against the Los Angeles Lakers in the primetime Christmas Day showcase and Curry and LeBron James did not disappoint once again. The Warriors trailed by 10 with just over 3 minutes to go. And with 7 seconds left in the game, Curry tied it with a three that led to the bang bang call from Breen.
But unfortunately for Curry and the Warriors, the game played out the same way it did back in January when more Curry heroics received the double bang treatment. Back then Curry gave Golden State the lead in the final seconds, but James made two free throws the next possession to win in double overtime.
This time around it was Austin Reaves who made the game-winner after Curry’s shot to win it for the Lakers, also notching a LeBron-esque triple double along the way.
STEPH CURRY HITS A THREE TO TIE IT AND THEN AUSTIN REAVES HITS A GAME WINNER 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/eUe4LT8eqw
— ESPN (@espn) December 26, 2024
Even though it came in a loss, Curry incredibly now has 3 of the 10 double bangs in Mike Breen’s career. That includes the first one for his epic three pointer against the Thunder back in 2016. The number of double bangs have increased in frequency the last couple years, but that doesn’t make the moment any less special. And given Steph Curry and LeBron James delivered the goods once again on one of the sport’s biggest stages, it was fitting for the occasion.