Nets Broadcaster Ian Eagle Falls Victim to the Ultimate Announcer Jinx

You can’t get unluckier than the Brooklyn Nets’ play-by-play voice did Wednesday night in Phoenix.

Ian Eagle is one of the best sports announcers in the business. He’s been calling games on national television for more than 25 years, so he knows all the typical pitfalls to avoid. For example, he’s aware that some fans will be quick to blame him for the so-called “announcer jinx.”

So when Eagle noticed in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s game between the Nets and Suns that Brooklyn had yet to commit a turnover, he made sure to protect himself from accusations of a potential jinx. 

“Sarah, you don’t believe in announcer jinxes, right?” he asked broadcast partner Sarah Kustok. “The Nets have zero turnovers.”

You will definitely guess what happened next. 

"You don’t believe in announcer jinxes, right?"
Uh-oh pic.twitter.com/zOtg2RT3Gv

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 14, 2023

Immediately after Eagle delivered the tidbit about Brooklyn’s lack of turnovers, Nets guard Cam Thomas was called for traveling. 

“That was an announcer jinx,” Eagle said, as he and Kustok broke out laughing. 

But wait, there’s more. The Nets also turned it over on their next possession. They went from playing more than 13 minutes without a turnover to having two in the span of 30 seconds.

Perhaps there’s some merit to the concept of the announcer jinx.