Marv Albert is retiring having established the sound of modern basketball

Slate

"Longevity isn’t everything, of course," says Ben Yagoda of Albert wrapping up his 58-year career. "But it’s notably a trait shared by Albert and the other play-by-play GOAT, Vin Scully, who called Brooklyn and then Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games for two-thirds of a century. Marv belongs in this exalted pairing because, for one thing, he is the sound of modern basketball, imitated by most announcers who came after him (notably Kevin Harlan of CBS and TNT) and by the guy who did the commentary for the video game NBA Jam. Albert’s technical chops (always on point, economical and precise, rarely makes a mistake, no nonsense but appreciative of drama and the moment) are complemented by his trademark calls ('Yesss—and it counts!'), his equally trademark New York semi-rasp, and his sense of humor, which is subtle and droll in a world where those qualities are rare. Albert projects an air of being amused, which is amusing, and his banter with such partners as Steve Kerr, and Mike 'The Czar of the Telestrator' Fratello, and Reggie Miller—with whom he’s been reunited for the East finals—has been toothsome."