Spero Dedes facts for kids

Spero Dedes (pronounced SPEAR-row DEE-des) was born on February 27, 1979. He is an American sportscaster. A sportscaster is someone who announces sports games. Spero Dedes currently works for CBS Sports. He calls NFL (football) and college basketball games. He also works for TNT Sports. There, he announces NBA (basketball) and college basketball games.

Before this, he was the TV voice for the Los Angeles Chargers football team from 2015 to 2021. He also announced games for the New York Knicks basketball team from 2011 to 2014. From 2005 to 2011, he was the radio announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

Early Career in Sports Broadcasting

Spero Dedes grew up in Paramus, New Jersey. He went to Paramus High School. After high school, he studied at Fordham University. He graduated from Fordham in 2001. His first job in sports broadcasting was at WFAN radio in New York.

In 2001 and 2002, Dedes was the radio announcer for the New Jersey Gladiators. This was a team in the Arena Football League (AFL). In 2002, he also filled in as an announcer for New Jersey Nets basketball games. These games were shown on the YES Network.

In 2003, Dedes started working for NBA TV. He was a studio host and also did play-by-play announcing. He hosted shows like Hardwood Classics and The Insiders. In 2004, he became a voice-over artist for NBA Action.

Becoming a National Voice

When Spero Dedes was 24 years old, he worked for NBC Sports. He helped cover the 2004 Summer Olympics. This was a big step in his career.

In 2004, Dedes also filled in as a commentator for College Basketball on CBS. That same year, he was a fill-in commentator for the NFL on FOX.

In 2005, Dedes filled in for the NFL on CBS. This was a very important year for him. He got a big opportunity to become the radio announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers.

From 2006 to 2011, Dedes worked for NFL Network. He hosted studio shows and also did play-by-play announcing. In 2015, he returned to NFL Network as a studio host.

In 2007, Dedes was the play-by-play announcer for the international broadcast of Super Bowl XLI. This was for CBS Sports. In 2023, he also called some NFL games for Westwood One radio.

Working Full-Time at CBS and with the Knicks

In December 2009, Spero Dedes started working full-time for CBS Sports. He announced regular season college basketball games. He also covered the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

For the 2010 NFL season, he became a full-time announcer for the NFL on CBS.

In 2011, Dedes left his job with the Lakers. He became the radio voice for the New York Knicks basketball team. He said he left the Lakers because the Knicks job gave him more time to continue his work with CBS Sports.

That same fall, he became the second main announcer for the SEC on CBS. He worked alongside Verne Lundquist.

Dedes has also filled in as a play-by-play announcer for New York Jets preseason games. These games were shown on WCBS-TV.

From 2017 to 2021, and again since 2023, he has called NFL games with Adam Archuleta. For the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he worked with Jay Feely. Dedes and Archuleta are currently the fifth main announcing team for the NFL on CBS. They announced the Snow Bowl game on December 10, 2017. In that game, the Buffalo Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts.

Spero Dedes is also one of the main play-by-play announcers for the NBA on TNT. He continues to announce games for CBS and Turner's coverage of NCAA March Madness. He works with different analysts like Steve Smith, Jim Jackson, Len Elmore, Debbie Antonelli, and Jim Spanarkel.