Worst NBA Figures Turned Media Personalities
NBA players might be incredibly gifted athletes, capable of running, jumping, playing defense and shooting a basketball with ridiculous precision. But there's a reason that being good at talking isn't included in the job description.
When NBA players retire, a lot of times they're approached by television networks eager to put them in the broadcasting booth with the intention of having the former player's popularity give the network a boost in ratings.
Well, it doesn't always work out.
Here are the eight most egregious examples.
Rick Barry
1 of 8Rick Barry wasn't exactly the greatest broadcaster in the history of sports, but he finds his name on this list for one single reason.
During Game 5 of the 1981 NBA Finals, Barry forced watchers to endure one of the more awkward moments in the history of the NBA Finals.
With Bill Russell sitting next to him, Barry showed a picture of a man who was allegedly Russell during his younger days, calling him a "fool with a watermelon-eating grin." The pictures kept coming as Barry seemed intent to make Russell look as bad as possible.
I'm amazed Russell didn't lose control and deck Barry.
Austin Carr
2 of 8When LeBron James was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers it was almost impossible to listen to a Cleveland broadcast without hitting mute.
Austin Carr certainly doesn't lack in enthusiasm, or catchphrases for that matter.
You can only take "Get that weak stuff outta here!" or "Here comes the L-Train!" so many times during a single game.
At least he knows how to make fun of himself.
Clyde Drexler
3 of 8Clyde Drexler had many talents on the basketball court, but those didn't exactly translate well to the booth with him when he became the commentator for the Houston Rockets.
Other than the infamous quote: "That's like clubbing baby seals. There's nothing [Andres] Nocioni can do," Drexler hasn't offered too much insight with his analysis.
He usually just tends to state what is blindingly obvious and then quickly move on. Then there's the occasional slip-up with players names, getting the score wrong, saying shots went in when they didn't and more.
John Havlicek
4 of 8I was tempted to just leave this slide completely blank and then see how many people understood.
When he was working as an announcer, John Havlicek was as quiet as they come. He would go pretty lengthy periods of time without even uttering a single word.
I tried searching for a quote to include here, but I couldn't find one. That wasn't because I didn't try hard enough, it was because Hondo didn't ever give us any.
Tommy Heinsohn
5 of 8Boston Celtics faithful may love the screaming homerism of Tommy Heinsohn, but it's hard for people outside of Massachusetts to get excited about him.
Heinsohn blatantly roots for the Celtics during his calls, making no pretenses to even disguise his rooting interests in the slightest, and gets way, way, way too excited about the simplest things.
Mark Jackson
6 of 8Some people may like Mark Jackson, but personally, I'm glad that he'll be pacing the sidelines for the Golden State Warriors instead of staying out of the action as a broadcaster.
It's okay to have one catchphrase. It's even okay to have two or three.
But Mr. Jackson, not every single thing that comes out of your mouth has to be in the phrase of a cute little catchphrase.
Additionally, he always has to call something the "best." Any other descriptors are just, well, not the best.
Reggie Miller
7 of 8Reggie Miller is just a little bit too quiet for my taste.
Plus, when he does speak, he doesn't usually bring too much to the table. I'd much rather hear Marv Albert and Steve Kerr talk the entire time for this TNT crew.
I'm glad that Miller's last name comes right after Mark Jackson's alphabetically for the sake of this list. The over-enthusiasm of Jackson stands in stark contrast to Miller's lack of excitement for anything and everything that happens on the court.
Chris Webber
8 of 8Chris Webber has way too many flaws as a broadcaster.
He is overwhelmingly biased towards all the teams that consistently made him look bad during his playing career. He is extraordinarily self-serving, rubbing in the good points that he makes on those rare occasions when he's right.
Even though he sounds good and pulls off the television look well, Webber needs to learn how to move on from one subject after he's beaten it to death.
Personally, I'd prefer if he took a permanent timeout from the booth.
Adam Fromal is a syndicated writer and Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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