Brian Davis (sportscaster)

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Brian Davis is a former television play-by-play announcer, most recently of the Oklahoma City Thunder, an NBA franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. [1]

Contents

Sportscasting biography

In 2004, he was host of Seattle SuperSonics telecasts, called occasional Sonics games, and also worked for NBA Radio as a sideline reporter and studio host. Davis also was a member of the Chicago Bulls broadcasts as a television studio host and has called play-by-play for college football and basketball for the Big Ten Conference, Pacific-10 Conference, Conference USA, and the Mid-American Conference. [2] On the professional side other than NBA basketball, Davis was the radio voice of the Seattle Seahawks, college football for CBS Radio/Westwood One, the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Fire S.C., and preseason games for the Arizona Cardinals. [3] He was a sports anchor for CBS Radio and all Chicago-news affiliates. [4] Davis has covered the Olympics, Stanley Cup Finals, the NBA Finals, DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball, and hosted radio broadcasts for the Chicago Blackhawks and Bears. [5]

Personal

Davis graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism. He resides in Oklahoma City with his spouse, Judy. Brian has won numerous awards in his career.

Controversies

During a basketball game on April 11, 2018, Davis described Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook as playing "out of his cotton-picking mind" after an assist against the Memphis Grizzlies. [6] Due to offensive racial connotations of this phrase, Davis apologized for the remark. The Thunder announced that Davis would be suspended for game one of the Thunder's first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Utah Jazz. [7] [8] After the season the Thunder declined to renew the contract of the only television play-by-play announcer the team has had since it relocated in 2008. A team statement did not give a reason for the decision. [9]

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References

  1. "Brian Davis". Themandelgroup.tv. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  2. "THUNDER: Thunder Broadcast Bios". NBA.com . Archived from the original on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  3. [ permanent dead link ]
  4. "Brian Davis: A New Voice for a New Fan". Bleacher Report . Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  5. "Brian Davis: Play-by-play voice". Thunderfans.com. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  6. "Thunder broadcaster who used 'cotton-picking' in Russell Westbrook call not renewed". USA Today .
  7. "Thunder Announcer Apologizes for Russell Westbrook Cotton Picking Reference". Bleacher Report .
  8. "Thunder announcer suspended one game after racially insensitive comment about Russell Westbrook". 13 April 2018.
  9. "Thunder won't renew contract of announcer Brian Davis". 15 June 2018.