Legendary Broadcaster Bob Rathbun To Be Honored For 30 Seasons Of Calling Hawks Basketball

Rathbun has been the voice of the Hawks and one of the top broadcasters in the NBA

The Atlanta Hawks will honor Emmy-Award winning television play-by-play voice Bob Rathbun, who is celebrating his 30th season with the team, tonight during the team’s contest against the Detroit Pistons at State Farm Arena. Since joining the organization in 1996, Rathbun has become an iconic figure in Atlanta sports, establishing an enduring bond with fans through his distinctive play-by-play commentary.

During the first timeout of the second quarter, the Hawks will celebrate Rathbun, the longest-tenured television play-by-play voice in the team’s history, with a special presentation. To recognize and honor Rathbun’s work in the animal rescue community, the Hawks are also donating $10,000 to Rescue Me Georgia, a non-profit all-volunteer foster-based animal rescue co-founded in 2008 by Rathbun’s wife, Marybeth.

"Bob’s voice is synonymous with the Atlanta Hawks. For three decades, he’s not just narrated the game on television, he’s brought an entire generation of fans into the heart of the action,” said Hawks President and CEO Steve Koonin. “Bob’s preparation is unmatched, his passion for the game is contagious, and we’re excited to celebrate this milestone with him and our community."

One of the league’s most recognizable and decorated play-by-play voices, Rathbun calls all of the games on the Hawks' FanDuel Sports Network Southeast package, the past 17 seasons teaming with Hall-of-Famer Dominique Wilkins.

Rathbun was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in February, 2025, the latest of his numerous significant career broadcasting awards, including the national Cynopsis Sports Media honor for live sports coverage for Game 1 of the 2021 Hawks-Knicks playoff series.

His play-by-play has won 13 Southeast Regional Emmy Awards, including one in 2020 for the Hawks vs. Miami Heat broadcast. An eight-time state honoree as Sportscaster of the Year from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA), Rathbun received the Positivity in Broadcasting Award in June, 2017, from Positive Athlete Georgia.

Rathbun's prodigious basketball work has found its way to all of the major broadcast outlets and platforms. His NBA work has earned him opportunities to call games for TNT and NBA TV, after a collegiate resume that includes stints with CBS (NCAA basketball tournament), ABC and ESPN (basketball, football and the College World Series). Each of the last eight summers, he has called The Basketball Tournament (TBT) for FOX, anchoring the championships round in six of those. Rathbun hosts ‘A Trophy Life,’ the official podcast of the Naismith player and coach of the year awards, based in Atlanta. He also sits on the national Naismith Awards Board of Directors, and in 2023, added inclusion to the Board of Selectors to his duties.

Rathbun has served as a play-by-play announcer for basketball and other sports on the ACC Television Network since 1988, and he has called games for both the ACC and the SEC since he arrived in Atlanta in 1996. He was also the network’s play-by-play voice for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream for 10 seasons and continues to do national WNBA broadcasts.

His professional baseball resume includes 10 years as voice of the Atlanta Braves, three seasons on radio in Detroit with the Tigers, and part-time work on Baltimore Orioles' TV broadcasts.

With extensive connections across a number of sports, Rathbun's broadcasting career has earned him eight Sportscaster of the Year honors (Virginia: 1980-82, 1985, 1988-89; Georgia 1998, 2012), a Distinguished Service Award from the ACC (1994), and a Distinguished Alumni Award from Catawba College (1988). The motivational speaker and author was inducted into his alma mater's Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and is also a member of the Virginia Sports, Salisbury Rowan Sports and Hampton Roads Sports Halls of Fame.