Lakers History: Legendary Chick Hearn Paved the Way for Future Broadcasters

Chick Hearn started broadcasting Laker games in 1965 and didn't miss a game until 2001.

On this day 18 years ago, the great Chick Hearn was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Since then, prominent media members like Marv Albert, Dick Vitale, Mike Breen have followed suit and been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Hearn is responsible for setting a broadcasting standard, and gave broadcasters a level of respect none of his predecessors ever got. The only other broadcaster that came close or exceeded Hearn in terms of reputation is the legendary Vin Scully, the longtime announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hearn was known for his colorful announcing turning normal basketball terms like ‘slam dunk’ and ‘air ball’ into his signature expressions over the decades.

Long-time Laker fans know the all too famous phase Hearn used when the Lakers secured wins before the buzzer sounded.

"The game's in the refrigerator, the door's closed, the light's out, the eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard and the Jell-O's jiggling."

Starting on November 21, 1965, Hearn holds the record broadcasting 3,338 consecutive Laker games. The streak came to a close on December 16, 2001. That's over 36 years of uninterrupted broadcasts, a truly remarkable feat. There will probably never be anyone else to come close to this magnificent streak for a single NBA franchise.