J-Speaks: Longtime Clippers' Play-By-Play Man's Big Announcement

There are not a lot of things that the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have in common. The Lakers have won 16 championships in their history, while the Clippers have yet to make an appearance in the Western Conference Finals. The one thing they do have in common is both franchises have had a play-by-play television analyst that has broadcasted their games for over three decades. For the Lakers, it was the late Francis Dayle “Chick” Hearn who had a broadcasting streak of 3,338 games from Nov. 21, 1965 to Dec. 16, 2001. The Clippers voice on the microphone for 39 seasons has provided enthusiastic commentary for a franchise that has been the least successful in NBA history. This past week he made a major announcement about his future with the team. 

The legendary play-by-play voice of the L.A. Clippers Ralph Lawler announced in the middle of the week that his 40^th season announced his plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2018-19 NBA season. 

Mr. Lawler said that he planned to make his retirement announcement at season’s end, but the Clippers organization wanted to celebrate he tenure with the team, so he made the announcement at that time. 

“My wife Jo and I have grappled with this decision annually for 15 years. I now realize that I have spent half of my 80 years as a part of this team. The Clippers are a big part of my life’s DNA,” Lawler, who turns 81 in Apr. 2019 said on Wednesday. “Yet, it is important that we have some ‘life after basketball.’ The current ownership and management team has been so supportive, and we are forever grateful for our years with the Clippers. I cannot express how much I appreciate the fans. I am looking forward to thanking as many of them as possible in person during this final season.”

Lawler, 80, joined the Clippers as their play-by-play man in their first season when they were in San Diego, CA in 1978. They moved to Los Angeles six years later and have called that home ever since. 

Since 1984, Mr. Lawler has called over 3,100 Clippers games and over the course of his career has distinguished himself as one of the elite sports broadcasters in the business being one of a few announcers to call games in all four of the U.S. pro sports leagues: The National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL) and NBA. 

That greatness and commitment to his work earned Mr. Lawler very special recognition on Mar. 3, 2016 as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Lawler also has won three Emmys, A Telly Award and has been inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the California Sports Hall of Fame.

“Ralph Lawler isn’t just the voice of the team, he has been the heart and soul of the Clippers,” team Chairman Steve Ballmer said this past week. “Ralph has lived every single moment with this team and been an essential connection between us and our fans, who rightfully adore him. We will treasure every moment with Ralph and his wife Jo this season and miss him incredibly next year. I’m looking forward to celebrating Ralph and his legacy and want to sincerely thank him for everything that he has done for and meant to this team. His will be large shoes to fill.”

This great journey in broadcasting began for the Peoria, IL native in 1960 where he worked as a sports announcer at 1440 KPRO in Riverside, CA. 

From there, the Bradley University graduate, which is the same school that Mr. Hearn attended worked in Philadelphia broadcasting gams for the Flyers, 76ers, Phillies, as well as College Basketball games for the Universities of Penn, La Salle, Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova University, which was known as the “Big 5.” Mr. Lawler also was a broadcaster of Temple college football and as a sports reporter for the then-CBS affiliate WCAU-TV as a sports reporter. 

He would return to Southern California in the late 1970s where he called the games of the San Diego Conquistadors of the American Basketball Association (ABA) as well as the San Diego Chargers. 

Among the color analyst that Mr. Lawler has shared the broadcast table with for Clippers telecast for Prime Ticket/FOX Sports West include Hall of Famer Bill Walton, whose work from 1990-2002 became wildly popular amongst Clippers fans and numbers of NBA fans because of their witty banter. 

From 2002-17, Mr. Lawler worked Clippers games with former player Mike Smith from and this last season with former NBA guard and two-time champion with the San Antonio Spurs Bruce Bowen. 

What made Lawler so unique from a lot of broadcasters is that he called games on a handheld microphone instead of the traditional headset.

Fans that watched L.A. Clippers telecasts expected to hear a number of Mr. Lawler’s catchphrases like, “Bingo” for a made three-pointer, “The Lob! The Jam!” when a team scores a basket off an alley-oop, or his most famous signature call, “Oh Me, Oh My” after a highlight play.

The most frequent of Lawler’s catchphrases that has been referenced by many of his peers is “Lawler’s Law,” that states the first team to reach the century mark will win the game and he would end it bay saying, “It’s the law.” 

Aside from the six of the past seven seasons, where the Clippers won 50 games or more and made the playoffs, they have had a very down history as the little brother to the Lakers. The one steady part of their organization, especially during some of their roughest seasons during these past four decades has been Ralph Anthony Lawler. 

In celebration of his 40^th and final season as the play-by-play man of the Los Angeles Clippers, the team and its broadcast partner FOX Sports/Prime Ticket will be celebrating Mr. Lawler at all 41 home games at Staples Center as his closest friends and colleagues during his great career like Walton at the top of the list will be joining co-piloting Clippers broadcast for special games. 

Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals on June 12, 2002, which the Lakers won 113-107 at the New Jersey Nets to win their third NBA title was the final broadcast of Francis Dayle “Chick” Hearn for the team’s radio feed. 

Mr. Lawler’s final regular season telecast as the voice of the Clippers will take place on April 10, 2019 when the team plays host to the Utah Jazz at Staples Center at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time on Ralph Lawler night. 

Along with the first 10,000 fans at the game receiving a Ralph Lawler bobblehead, the evening will feature special guests, ceremonies, and a celebration of the great career of Ralph Lawler. 

By the end of the 2018-19 NBA campaign, the city of Los Angeles, CA will have said goodbye to of the most tenured broadcasters for their respective teams. One broadcaster in Mr. Hearn saw some of the greatest to ever play on the hardwood lead the “Purple and Gold” to championship glory. Mr. Lawler saw some pretty rough basketball for the most part for the “Red, White and Blue” little brother Clippers. Both though brought their A-plus commentary to each game and represented themselves as the most important faces of their franchises and earned accolades and the respect of the players they covered, their respective peers in the business and fans who enjoyed hearing their calls of Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers games.

“The ‘Voice of the Clippers’ for 40 seasons and one of the league’s longest-tenured broadcasters, Ralph has called some of the most iconic moments in Clippers’ and NBA history,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement on Wednesday. “His distinct broadcasting style, highlighted by Lawler’s Law and other hallmark ‘Lawler-isms,’ has earned him respect and admiration from NBA fans everywhere. We wish Ralph continued success in his final NBA season and thank him for his incredible commitment and dedication to NBA basketball.”  

Information and quotations are courtesy of 9/12/18 www.espn.com story, “Ralph Lawler, Longtime Voice of Clippers, To Retire at Season’s End;” 9/12/18 www.nba.com story via Clippers Digital, “Longtime ‘Voice of The Clippers’ Ralph Lawler Announces His Intent To Retire At End of 2018-19 Season;” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Smith_(basketball,_born_1965); https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Walton; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_NBA_Finals#Game_4; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_Hearn; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Lawler.