With how quick any basketball game can change, dramatics are a given each time the ball hits the floor. At the highest levels, an announcer who can match the moment is critical. Luckily for NBA fans, legendary play-by-play voices grace each game no matter the network.
That’s long been the case with the illustrious Marv Albert, one of the best NBA broadcasters in history, calling Michael Jordan’s best moments that eventually led to the proverbial torch being passed to the likes of Mike Breen and Mike Tirico. Albert called everything from the Willis Reed game in 1970 to the game winning shot from John Paxson to give the Bulls their third-straight title in 1993 and even LeBron James’s epic buzzer beater to take down the Magic in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference finals.
Albert’s simple “yes!” call followed endless momentous shots in NBA history. His greatness brought inspiration to an entirely new generation of legendary announcers in their own right. As the NBA playoffs reach its climax, here’s a look at the five best play-by-play announcers on NBA broadcasts in the current day, ranked from bottom to top:
5. Ryan Ruocco, ESPN and YES Network
Ruocco’s “you bet” call after a big three-pointer is an absolute classic. He may be more prominent as a play-by-play announcer for the WNBA and women’s college basketball, but his signature call carries across the wide breadth of basketball.
On top of his ESPN duties, Ruocco has been a play-by-play announcer for the Nets on YES Network since 2011 alongside game analyst Sarah Kustok in a stacked crew that includes Vince Carter plus Ian and Noah Eagle. In addition to “you bet,” Ruocco has a sneaky good call he breaks out after a miss. It’s a simple “no” but the way he punctuates based on the moment is quite telling of his take on the shot selection. Although you’ll catch Ruocco on more WNBA games as ESPN’s lead play-by-play announcer, you’re in for a treat whenever he calls NBA action.
4. Eric Collins, Charlotte Hornets and Amazon Prime
If you turn on a Hornets broadcasts without any prior knowledge, Collins’s flavor on the microphone puts you on a wild ride. His wild calls and excitement for even the smallest moments may be somewhat of an acquired taste, but you can’t deny his stature as an elite NBA broadcaster no matter your personal preference.
“Hum-diddly-dee” is Collins’s classic call heard many times after an emphatic dunk, but he sprinkles in some hilarious head scratchers that make you think before a moment before laughing out loud. A personal favorite is “with the guts of a cat burglar,” but the best is when Collins loses his mind after a crazy play where you can feel his body gyrate through the microphone.
Petition to bring back Eric Collins for every playoff series! pic.twitter.com/e3rJKmczld
— DG3 (@DG3_terminal) April 27, 2026
3. Ian Eagle, Amazon Prime and YES Network
Eagle is Amazon Prime’s lead play-by-play announcer in addition to his duties calling college basketball and NFL games for CBS plus Nets games on YES Network. He has a number of signature calls that include “he’s not human,” “that’s a man’s jam” and “do not go in there.” Perhaps one of his best go-to calls, however, is the “oh yeah” he let’s out after a big three falls. That’s sometimes precluded by an “oh no” if he deems the shot questionable. The juxtaposition between the two makes for some of the most electric words on NBA airwaves amongst the many great three-pointer calls from the league’s greatest play-by-play announcers.
He’s not afraid to hold his excitement for a “wedgie” when a shot wedges between the rim and backboard, either, as he shares that guilty pleasure with many basketball fans.
"OOOOH A DUNK WEDGIE! IT DOESN'T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN!"
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 20, 2026
Ian Eagle with the Prime Video call. 🏀🎙️pic.twitter.com/ypdgotGjzp
2. Kevin Harlan, Amazon Prime
Harlan’s voice is simply iconic. He decided to take on a lighter schedule of NBA games this year as he joined Amazon after his long run calling the biggest moments for TNT’s NBA slate before the network lost media rights this season. It was Harlan who said, “LeBron James, with no regard for human life!”
He called Kawhi Leonard’s epic shot that bounced off the rim four times and dropped, too, which saw the Raptors eliminate the 76ers in Game 7 in what was the signature moment of Toronto’s title run in 2019.
Even with those iconic moments under his belt, one of Harlan’s best NBA calls came at a fairly inconsequential time. It was Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Nuggets and Timberwolves in 2024. Denver trailed 2–1 in the series and went on a big run before halftime that was punctuated by a steal and epic half-court heave from Jamal Murray at the buzzer.
“That's intercepted. Murray, good if it goes,” Harlan said into the mic before a long pause. “Got it! Got it! Got it! A big-time three! Oh, what a shot!"
The best part was that Murray hit the shot from right in front of the broadcast booth and he stared at Harlan who was up out of his chair as he screamed “got it!” Harlan is an iconic voice for college basketball and the NFL as well and he’s voiced many of the most memorable NBA moments for decades.
1. Mike Breen, ESPN and New York Knicks
“Bang! Bang!”
Breen’s signature call is synonymous with the biggest shots on NBA floors. So much so that the calls have been tracked by player in some awesome data gathering by @OTownNBA on X a few years ago. There’s even levels to the incredible call as the “double bang” is much more rare than the single “bang!” Breen has never broken out a triple bang, although maybe he would have if he was on the call for Victor Wembanyama’s wild logo three-pointer to tie the Thunder in overtime during Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
Wemby’s big three was nearly identical to Steph Curry’s wild shot—from the same spot on the same floor—to beat the Thunder in overtime a decade ago. Curry’s shot was Breen’s most notable “double bang” call but he gave Donte DiVincenzo the same treatment two years ago in the first round of the playoffs when the Knicks had an incredible sequence to take the lead on the 76ers in the waning moments of Game 2.
Knicks fans are lucky to have Breen and Walt Frazier on the call throughout the regular season. We’ll have to see whether Breen breaks out the “double bang” or maybe even something greater as he calls the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals.
He nearly broke out the “bang” in Tuesday night’s wild Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals where the Knicks completed a historic comeback on the Cavaliers. Sam Merrill got a great look to win the game for Cleveland in regulation, but his deep shot went in and out which forced Breen to quickly reroute in the middle of the call for what was a hilarious moment.
SAM MERRILL ALMOST HIT THE GAME WINNER
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 20, 2026
Mike Breen almost said “bang”. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/HWxBma8Z89
If that’s any indication, Breen’s certainly ready to break out his iconic call at some point as the NBA season reaches its culmination. The only question is how big of a “bang” he will spew into the mic.
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