After 55 years of providing commentary on a host of sports — most notably, basketball — Marv Albert has called his last game. Earlier this year, Albert announced plans to retire after the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals. Following the Milwaukee Bucks’ victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Game Six, Albert signed off for the last time. Writing at Deadline, Bruce Haring has more details on Albert’s final broadcast.
“I wish I was starting all over again. It has been such a joy,” Albert said as the broadcast ended. “So for the last time, thanks so much for watching. I’m Marv Albert saying thank you, and goodnight.”
Albert is best known for exclaiming “Yes!” when a player made a basket. His career included memorable stints covering the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, as well as the 1992 Summer Olympics. He received a Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Basketball Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015.
Albert’s career hasn’t been without controversy, however. As Bryan Curtis noted at The Ringer in 2019, an accusation of sexual assault against Albert in 1997 put a temporary hold on his career. Albert was tried and eventually pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and battery, and was fired by NBC. He was rehired within two years. “Though Albert insisted on his innocence,” Curtis wrote, “it’s not hard to think that, today, the second half of his career never would have happened at all.”
Did Albert change the world of sports? Most definitely. But with his career now concluded, it’s important to remember that he leaves behind a more complicated legacy than most of his peers.
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