Mike Breen Nearly Walked Away From Broadcasting Before 21st Straight NBA Finals
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ESPN and New York Knicks play-by-play announcer Mike Breen, who will call his 21st consecutive NBA Finals this week, says he once considered giving up the microphone because he could not make ends meet.
In an interview for a profile by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, the 65-year-old broadcaster recalled an early-career crisis when low pay and limited opportunities pushed him to the brink of quitting. “I was thinking, I can’t do this anymore. I’m not making any money,” Breen told the publication.
Breen said the financial strain became so severe that he asked his father, a steamfitter, for an application to join the steamfitters union. His father responded by reminding him of a promise: give broadcasting five full years before making a final decision. Breen still had more than two years left on that timetable.
Six months after that conversation, Breen’s fortunes shifted when he accepted a position at WNBC Radio. The job launched a steady climb that led to his joining Knicks radio broadcasts in 1992 and later becoming the team’s television voice. His work with the Knicks opened the door to national assignments at ESPN, where he eventually became the network’s lead NBA play-by-play announcer.
Now widely regarded as a future Hall of Famer, Breen continues to balance his Knicks duties with ESPN’s national coverage. Those roles intersect again this week as New York faces the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals—a stage Breen has occupied for more than two decades, one he nearly never reached.
Source: Hoops Wire
