After 35 years and calling over 2,600 NBA games, veteran NBA play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro is “taking a break from the thing that I love to do most in the world” to focus on his family and his health. The 64-year-old bombastic broadcaster with the signature catchphrases, “Flying chickens in the barnyard!” and “Get on a magic carpet ride!” parted ways with the Portland Trail Blazers, ending a four-year tenure with the organization. “With everything that’s going on with COVID and everything that’s happening, I just decided this is a good time to step away,” Calabro said during a telephone interview Wednesday. “We’ve made a lot of sacrifices during this long and crazy ride. We’ve been apart for birthdays, holidays and everything. I just turned 64 and my wife is 67. We’re in great health, but we’ve got some things happening in family that I want to be a part of.
Tag: Kevin Calabro
After four years of work as the …
After four years of work as the Portland Trail Blazers play-by-play announcer, Kevin Calabro said he is stepping down. “This was a very difficult decision to make and I want to thank the Allen family and Chris McGowan for their support and understanding,” said Calabro in a statement Wednesday. “I’ll always be grateful to the Rip City fans for welcoming me into the family.”
The Portland Trail Blazers (+56) crew …
The Portland Trail Blazers (+56) crew of Kevin Calabro and Lamar Hurd came in third among all broadcast teams. Back in 2016, the Blazers had some controversy firing the locally beloved crew of Mike Barrett and Mike Rice. They were homers and their broadcasts were a bit zanier than you might hope for if you were an outsider looking in. But the Blazers fans seemed to love them. That made the entrance of Calabro and Hurd pretty rocky and not totally welcome. But Calabro has been one of the best in the business for a long time, going from Seattle SuperSonics broadcasts with Steve “Snapper” Jones to national games with ESPN. Hurd joined the team after years of PAC-12 broadcasts. You also can’t forget sideline reporter Brooke Olzendam, who brings a lot of information, energy, and fun into the mix.
His answer shocked me to be honest. …
His answer shocked me to be honest. Maybe that’s because I’ve come to expect the worst when it comes to the NBA, but that’s why I think all of us heartbroken basketball fans needed to hear Calabro’s comments. “I’m going to be an optimist and say it will be inside of the next five years,” he said boldly.
Of course who knows how COVID-19 will …
Of course who knows how COVID-19 will change that timeline. Calabro called coronavirus the “huge x-factor” in this equation. And he’s right. We don’t know what the financial landscape in professional sports will be like one year from now, let alone five. The collective hope is that this will end up being a minor bump in the road. That’s exactly what Calabro envisions. “Having calculated the x-factor, I still think within five years, yes, we’ll see NBA basketball in Seattle,” Calabro said.