Neil Funk facts for kids

Neil Funk (born December 29, 1946) is a famous American sports announcer. For many years, he was the exciting voice of the Chicago Bulls basketball team. He described the games live on television, making fans feel like they were right there in the action.

Neil Funk's Journey in Broadcasting

Neil Funk grew up in Indianapolis. He went to Syracuse University and finished his studies in 1969. His first job was talking about high school and college sports for a small radio station in Danville, Illinois.

He quickly became very good at his job. In 1976, he started working for the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team on radio. Later, he also announced games for the Kansas City Kings.

In 1982, Neil Funk began announcing Sixers games on television. He worked with Steve Mix and even won an Emmy Award in 1989. An Emmy is a special prize given for excellent work in television.

Neil Funk joined the Chicago Bulls in 1991. At first, he described their games on radio. Then, in 2008, he became the main TV announcer for the Bulls. He was the voice that told fans about all the exciting plays.

After 29 years with the team, Neil Funk announced in 2019 that he would retire after the 2019–2020 season.

Famous Phrases and Calls

Neil Funk is well-known for his special phrases he used during games. When a Bulls player made a three-point shot, he would often shout, "Ka-Boom!"

Another one of his famous calls was, "Bang, down the well it goes!" He used this when a player scored a basket in a dramatic way.

Here is an example of how Neil Funk would describe a play: "Dennis inbounds to Scottie, who brings the ball up. Pippen across the timeline with Stockton on him. Scottie left side for Michael. Michael backing Russell, backing, backing now swings it down to Luc. Over to Scottie with 10 on the 24. Scottie to Steve Kerr for three—ka-boom!"

He once described a play for the Sixers like this: "Cheeks to Barkley Barkley back to Cheeks. Cheeks-twisting, turning, wheeling, dealing, hanging, firing, scoring.”

Other Fun Activities

Neil Funk was also the play-by-play announcer for a video game! He lent his voice to the 1996 Midway Games arcade game called NBA Hangtime.

In the game, you could even play as Neil Funk himself. He was a secret character you could unlock by typing in a special code.

About His Life

Neil Funk is married to his wife, Renee. They have one son named William. He lives in Chicago.