Lawrence Tanter

Last updated
Lawrence Tanter
Born (1949-10-11) October 11, 1949 (age 74)
Chicago, Illinois
Career
Country United States

Lawrence Tanter (born October 11, 1949) is an American public address announcer best known for his work for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. In addition, Tanter was also the program director for public jazz radio station KKJZ. [1]

Contents

Early life

Tanter was born in Chicago. [2] He played basketball in high school, as well as the saxophone and clarinet. [1] A 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m) forward, he earned an athletic scholarship to play basketball at the University of Dubuque. [2] He worked at the college radio station after responding to an ad for a host for a Sunday night jazz program. [1] [2]

Professional career

Tanter began working at radio station KJLH in Los Angeles in the 1970s, [1] and drove their quiet storm format. [2]

Tanter began working as the Lakers' public address announcer at the start of the NBA's 1981-82 season and has been a fixture at Laker home games ever since. He is the longest tenured Lakers PA announcer ever. During his tenure behind the microphones of both The Forum and the Crypto.com Arena, Tanter has seen the Lakers win 16 NBA Western Conference titles and 10 NBA championships.

When World Wrestling Entertainment fought with the Denver Nuggets over an arena booking for a playoff game in 2009, Tanter was recruited as guest ring announcer for the main event of a newly relocated Raw at Staples Center. In the match, five heel (villain) wrestlers in Denver Nuggets jerseys competed against five face (hero) wrestlers in Los Angeles Lakers jerseys, and the Lakers team won. Soon afterward, the Lakers eliminated the Nuggets in the 2009 Western Conference Finals 4-2. They then went on to defeat the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals and capture their 15th NBA title.

Tanter played an instrumental role in re-creating a home feel for Lakers "home" games in the 2020 NBA Bubble, as the league returned to action following a hiatus due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Tanter recorded an array of starting lineup introductions, accounting for potential lineup permutations and team accomplishments, at a home studio in the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles in July. Matt Shelton, the Lakers' director of game entertainment, then spliced together Tanter's tracks using Adobe Audition editing software. As the Lakers advanced in the postseason, Tanter was a part of the game presentation. [3] The Lakers went on to win their 17th NBA championship.

Tanter is known for his smooth baritone voice and affinity for jazz music. For three decades, he has been a disc jockey for various jazz stations in Los Angeles, including KTWV 94.7 The Wave. Additionally, he is the announcer for LTV, the Lakers pre/post game show on KCAL-TV.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver Nuggets</span> National Basketball Association team in Denver, Colorado

The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA) but changed their name to the Rockets before the first season. The Rockets then changed their name again to the Nuggets in 1974. After the name change, the Nuggets played for the final ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chauncey Billups</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1976)

Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Billups spent the majority of his 17-year basketball career playing for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit. The Pistons retired his No. 1 jersey in 2016. After playing college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. A five-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All-Defensive selection, Billups also played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career.

The 2000–01 NBA season was the 55th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their second straight championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 1 in the 2001 NBA Finals.

The 1998–99 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, after a new six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. All 29 teams played a shortened 50-game-per-team regular season schedule and the 16 teams who qualified for the playoffs played a full post-season schedule. That season's All-Star Game, which would have been held in Philadelphia, was also canceled. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs winning the franchise's first NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the 1999 NBA Finals. This was the 50th season since the BAA and NBL had merged into the NBA.

The 1994–95 NBA season was the 49th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Houston Rockets defeating the Orlando Magic 4-0 in the NBA Finals to be crowned champions.

The 1983–84 NBA season was the 38th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 for the second time since 1969 in the NBA Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 NBA playoffs</span> Postseason tournament

The 1995 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994–95 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets sweeping the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 NBA playoffs</span> Postseason tournament

The 1994 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 NBA playoffs</span> Postseason tournament

The 2007 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2006–07 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Tony Parker was named NBA Finals MVP, making him the first Spur other than Tim Duncan and the first European–born player to receive the award.

Olivier Sedra is a public address announcer for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He was the public address announcer for the 2016 NBA Finals champions Cleveland Cavaliers. His style of announcing is a combination of Lawrence Tanter of the Los Angeles Lakers and his hero, Montreal Canadiens public address announcer Michel Lacroix. He is known for his baritone voice and precise yet exciting announcements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 NBA playoffs</span> Basketball competition

The 2008 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Paul Pierce was named NBA Finals MVP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 NBA playoffs</span> Postseason tournament of the NBA

The 2009 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP.

The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals, four games to one.

The 2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers season was the franchise's 61st season, 60th in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 49th in Los Angeles. Coming off an appearance in the 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers won their division for the 31st time and appeared in the NBA Finals for the 30th time. With 65 wins, they tied the 1986–87 team for the third most wins in franchise history, the most since 1999–2000, and improved on their 2007–08 record by eight wins. The Lakers sold out all 41 home games for the season, led the NBA in money earned from overall ticket sales, and had the 5th highest increase in gate receipts from the previous season. The Lakers had the third best team offensive rating in the NBA.

The 1993–94 NBA season was the Nuggets' 18th season in the National Basketball Association, and 27th season as a franchise. The Nuggets had the ninth overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, and selected Rodney Rogers out of Wake Forest University. During the off-season, the team acquired Brian Williams from the Orlando Magic, then during the first month of the regular season, they traded Mark Macon and Marcus Liberty to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for All-Star guard Alvin Robertson. However, Robertson never played for the Nuggets due to a back injury, and was out for the entire season. The Nuggets played around .500 all season long with a 22–25 record at the All-Star break, and finished fourth in the Midwest Division with a 42–40 record and made the playoffs for the first time in four years. The Nuggets qualified for the playoffs as the #8 seed in the Western Conference.

The 2009–10 New Jersey Nets season was the 43rd season of the franchise, 34th in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This was the team's final season at the Izod Center. With a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on December 2, 2009, the Nets became the first team in NBA history to start the season 0–18. The Nets got their first win of the season at home against the Charlotte Bobcats on December 4, 2009. With a loss to the Houston Rockets on December 26, 2009, the Nets became the sixth team in NBA history to lose 28 of its first 30 games, tying the worst 30-game record in NBA history. With a loss to the Utah Jazz on January 23, 2010, the Nets became the third team in NBA history to lose 40 of its first 43 games, tying the worst three-win record in NBA history. On February 6, the Nets lost to the Detroit Pistons, falling to 4–46 and tying the record for the worst 50-game record in the history of the three major sports that play seasons that long.

The 2021 NBA Summer League was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The summer league consisted of the California Classic, Salt Lake City Summer League, and the Las Vegas NBA Summer League.

The 2022–23 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 76th season of the franchise, its 75th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), its 63rd season in Los Angeles, and its 24th season playing home games at Crypto.com Arena. On April 11, 2022, the Los Angeles Lakers fired Frank Vogel as head coach. On June 3, 2022, the Lakers hired Darvin Ham as their new head coach.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Erskine, Chris. "Lawrence Tanter sets the tone for the Lakers, and jazz station". Los Angeles Times , March 23, 2011. Retrieved on May 14, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Where Are They Now?". LARadio.com. Don Barrett. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  3. ↑ McMenamin, Dave (August 5, 2020). "Lakers re-creating home feel in Orlando NBA bubble". espn.com. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.