Mike Breen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Breen
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Breen in 2023
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Michael Breen
May 22, 1961 New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Fordham University |
| Years active | 1991–present |
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Notable credit(s)
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| Title | Sportscaster |
| Spouse(s) | Rosanne Breen |
| Children | 3 |
| Sports commentary career | |
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Michael Breen (born May 22, 1961) is a well-known American play-by-play sports commentator. A play-by-play announcer describes the action of a game as it happens. Since 2006, he has been the main announcer for NBA games on ABC and ESPN. This includes calling the exciting NBA Finals every year.
Breen also works as the main announcer for New York Knicks games on the MSG Network. Before focusing mostly on basketball, he also called NFL games for NFL on Fox and NFL on NBC. He even announced preseason games for the New York Giants.
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About Mike Breen
Early Life and Education
Mike Breen grew up in Yonkers, New York. He went to St. Paul the Apostle Catholic grammar school. Later, he graduated from Salesian High School in 1979. He then continued his education at Fordham University, graduating in 1983.
Basketball Announcing Career
Breen started his career in 1985, calling basketball games for the Marist College Red Foxes. From 1991 to 1997, he worked as a radio announcer for the New York Knicks on WFAN. He became the main Knicks play-by-play announcer on MSG Network in 2004.
In 1998, Breen joined NBC as a backup play-by-play announcer for the 1998 NBA playoffs. He stayed with NBC until 2002. During his time there, he also called WNBA games. One famous moment he called was in the 1999 WNBA Finals. New York Liberty player Teresa Weatherspoon made a half-court shot at the buzzer to win the game.
Breen joined ESPN in the 2003–04 NBA season. In February 2006, he became the lead broadcaster for the NBA on ABC. This meant he would call the NBA Finals. For many years, he worked with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson as analysts.
The "BANG!" Call
Mike Breen is famous for yelling "BANG!" after a big shot is made, especially late in a game. He might also say "It's good!" or "Puts it in!". This special call started when he was a student at Fordham University. As a fan, he would yell "BANG!" when a player made an important shot. He decided to try it when he was announcing games. People liked it right away, and it became his signature call.
Some of his most famous "BANG!" calls include:
- Stephen Curry's game-winning three-point shot from far away against Oklahoma City in 2016.
- Ray Allen's game-tying shot against San Antonio in the 2013 Finals.
- Luka Doncic’s game-winning shot at the buzzer in overtime against the Clippers in the 2020 playoffs.
He has only used "BANG! BANG!" a total of eight times for truly amazing shots. For example, for Stephen Curry's shot, he said: "They do have a timeout, decide not to use it, Curry way downtown, BANG! BANG! OH, WHAT A SHOT FROM CURRY!"
Other Notable Moments
When the Knicks played in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, Breen called some of their games for ESPN and ABC. He has worked with many former Knicks players and coaches, like Hubie Brown, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Walt Frazier.
Breen was also the voice for the NBA Live video game series. He started with NBA Elite 11 and continued with NBA Live 14 through NBA Live 18.
In 2021, Mike Breen received a huge honor. On May 14, 2021, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He also received the Curt Gowdy Media Award. These are two of the highest awards for someone in sports broadcasting. When he accepted the Curt Gowdy Media Award, Breen said that the best part of his career has been the friendships the game has given him.
In 2022, Breen had to miss some games during the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals and the start of the 2022 NBA Finals. This was because he tested positive for COVID-19. Mark Jones filled in for him until Breen returned for Game 3 of the Finals.
In 2023, after some changes at ESPN, Breen became the only original commentator left on the main broadcast team. Doris Burke and former NBA coach Doc Rivers joined him.
Olympic Games Announcing
Mike Breen has announced at five Olympic Games. He covered one Winter Olympics and four Summer Olympics.
- At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, he called both men's and women's basketball games.
- At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Breen announced ski jumping.
- He also called men's and women's Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics for NBC Sports.
Radio Work
Breen has also had a long career in radio. He started as a sportscaster on WNBC radio in the early 1980s. From 1988 to 2000, Breen did the sports segment on the nationally syndicated Imus in the Morning radio show. He was known for his calm way of delivering funny, fake sports news. For example, he once reported that a retired baseball player had a great game the night before.
Personal Life
Mike Breen lives on Long Island, New York. He lives there with his wife, Rosanne, and their three children.
