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Mike Breen
Michael Breen (born May 22, 1961) is an American play-by-play sports commentator. He has been the lead announcer for NBA games on ABC and ESPN since 2006, including the NBA Finals. He is also the lead announcer for New York Knicks games on the MSG Network. Breen previously called NFL regular season games for both NFL on Fox and NFL on NBC, as well as New York Giants preseason games.
Breen was raised in Yonkers, New York, and attended St. Paul the Apostle Catholic grammar school. He is a 1979 graduate of Salesian High School, and a 1983 graduate of Fordham University. Breen grew up as a fan of the Knicks and the New York Mets. Breen's favorite athletes as a child were future broadcasting partner Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, and Bud Harrelson.
Breen started doing play-by-play for the Marist College Red Foxes basketball team in 1985. From 1991 to 1997 he worked with the Knicks as a radio announcer for WFAN. For the 1997–98 season, Breen was promoted to television play-by-play for the Knicks, as Marv Albert was fired from MSG Network following his infamous sex scandal. Upon Albert's return in 1999, he became his backup on MSG Network and continued as the lead announcer on WFAN. In 2004, he became the lead Knicks play-by-play following Albert's second dismissal from the network.
For the 1998 NBA playoffs, Breen joined NBC as a backup play-by-play announcer, and he remained in that role until the end of the network's coverage of the league in 2002. He also did play-by-play for WNBA games during his tenure at NBC, most notably Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals when New York Liberty guard Teresa Weatherspoon made a half-court shot at the final buzzer to beat the Houston Comets. He joined ESPN as the number 3 announcer for the 2003–04 NBA season. In February 2006, with the departure of Al Michaels from the network, ABC announced that Breen would take over as the lead broadcaster for the NBA, including the NBA Finals. In the 2006–07 season, he was part of the lead broadcast team with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson as analysts, and the trio called games until Van Gundy and Jackson's dismissal from the network amid ESPN's layoffs in 2023.
Breen is known for yelling the word "BANG!" (or other phrases such as "It's good!" or "Puts it in!") after key shots are made, usually very late in the game, and at times, more than once. Some of his calls include:
June 18, 2013 – As ABC's lead play-by-play commentator, Breen called Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. In the final seconds of regulation, Ray Allen hit a clutch three-pointer for the Heat to send the game to overtime. They would eventually go on to win in overtime and Game 7. This is widely considered to be one of the greatest shots in NBA history, considering the fact that if Allen had missed, the Spurs would have won the championship.
"James catches, puts up a three. Won't go, rebound Bosh, back out to Allen, his three-pointer, BANG! TIE GAME WITH FIVE SECONDS REMAINING!"
June 19, 2016 – Breen called Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. With the game tied with less than two minutes remaining, Cavaliers' LeBron James blocked Warriors' Andre Iguodala's fastbreak layup. The Cavaliers went on to win the game and the championship by the final score of 93–89, ending Cleveland's 52-year major league championship drought. Since the Cavaliers also came back from a 3-1 deficit in this series, James's crucial block is known as one of the greatest defensive plays in NBA history.
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Mike Breen
Michael Breen (born May 22, 1961) is an American play-by-play sports commentator. He has been the lead announcer for NBA games on ABC and ESPN since 2006, including the NBA Finals. He is also the lead announcer for New York Knicks games on the MSG Network. Breen previously called NFL regular season games for both NFL on Fox and NFL on NBC, as well as New York Giants preseason games.
Breen was raised in Yonkers, New York, and attended St. Paul the Apostle Catholic grammar school. He is a 1979 graduate of Salesian High School, and a 1983 graduate of Fordham University. Breen grew up as a fan of the Knicks and the New York Mets. Breen's favorite athletes as a child were future broadcasting partner Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, and Bud Harrelson.
Breen started doing play-by-play for the Marist College Red Foxes basketball team in 1985. From 1991 to 1997 he worked with the Knicks as a radio announcer for WFAN. For the 1997–98 season, Breen was promoted to television play-by-play for the Knicks, as Marv Albert was fired from MSG Network following his infamous sex scandal. Upon Albert's return in 1999, he became his backup on MSG Network and continued as the lead announcer on WFAN. In 2004, he became the lead Knicks play-by-play following Albert's second dismissal from the network.
For the 1998 NBA playoffs, Breen joined NBC as a backup play-by-play announcer, and he remained in that role until the end of the network's coverage of the league in 2002. He also did play-by-play for WNBA games during his tenure at NBC, most notably Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals when New York Liberty guard Teresa Weatherspoon made a half-court shot at the final buzzer to beat the Houston Comets. He joined ESPN as the number 3 announcer for the 2003–04 NBA season. In February 2006, with the departure of Al Michaels from the network, ABC announced that Breen would take over as the lead broadcaster for the NBA, including the NBA Finals. In the 2006–07 season, he was part of the lead broadcast team with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson as analysts, and the trio called games until Van Gundy and Jackson's dismissal from the network amid ESPN's layoffs in 2023.
Breen is known for yelling the word "BANG!" (or other phrases such as "It's good!" or "Puts it in!") after key shots are made, usually very late in the game, and at times, more than once. Some of his calls include:
June 18, 2013 – As ABC's lead play-by-play commentator, Breen called Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. In the final seconds of regulation, Ray Allen hit a clutch three-pointer for the Heat to send the game to overtime. They would eventually go on to win in overtime and Game 7. This is widely considered to be one of the greatest shots in NBA history, considering the fact that if Allen had missed, the Spurs would have won the championship.
"James catches, puts up a three. Won't go, rebound Bosh, back out to Allen, his three-pointer, BANG! TIE GAME WITH FIVE SECONDS REMAINING!"
June 19, 2016 – Breen called Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. With the game tied with less than two minutes remaining, Cavaliers' LeBron James blocked Warriors' Andre Iguodala's fastbreak layup. The Cavaliers went on to win the game and the championship by the final score of 93–89, ending Cleveland's 52-year major league championship drought. Since the Cavaliers also came back from a 3-1 deficit in this series, James's crucial block is known as one of the greatest defensive plays in NBA history.
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