Minnesota Timberwolves broadcasts on Bally Sports North will sound a bit different once the 2022-23 season tips off.
Per The Athletic, play by play broadcaster Dave Benz won’t be returning to the booth, a decision made by Bally Sports North and supported by the team. Benz had an option on his contract for next season that was not picked up.
Talking to The Athletic, Benz called the change “very disheartening and very sad.”
“It’s very disheartening and very sad because I’ve grown to love my time with the team and the players and the coaches, the people in the front office, the people on the Bally side,” Benz said in a telephone conversation. “Everybody’s been fantastic. Today has really been a gut-wrenching day for me to say the least. It definitely was not something I saw coming.”
The team thanked Benz in a statement, while Bally Sports North declined comment.
“We would like to thank Dave Benz for his 10 years of service as the Minnesota Timberwolves play-by-play voice,” the Timberwolves said in a statement while declining further comment. “We appreciate all the memories he has provided our players and fans from his calls throughout the years. We wish him the best of luck in the next chapter of his broadcasting career.”
Benz said that he was told both the network and the team were looking for “a fresh start.”
He joined the Timberwolves broadcast team in 2012, replacing Tom Hanneman.
I understand the desire for both team and network to change things up and add a new voice to broadcasts, but it’s always tough when the outgoing broadcaster has been with the team for a decade.
