Los Angeles Lakers: Nobody will ever come close to Chick Hearn

How many times have you heard the phrase, “Slam dunk”? How about, “Air-ball”?  There is one man to thank for wonderful phrases like that and so many others — the voice of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chick Hearn.

A one of a kind type of person who comes along once in a lifetime. Someone with great knowledge, and talent who could call a two-hand touch football game in a schoolyard and make it sound as if it were the event of the year. He had a keen sense of being able to call the game in his rapid style as he would never miss a beat.

Listening to Chick Hearn call a game was a wonderful experience and only helped to enhance Los Angeles Lakers games.

There was no one quite like him. His distinct voice and style of calling a game were all original and wonderful. Hearn was original in all that he did. He held a magnificent streak of calling 3,338 consecutive Lakers games that went from 1965 to 2001 and only came to an end because he underwent cardiac bypass surgery.

In that time, Chick invented many wonderful phrases, which became known as Chickisms.

He also is responsible for the many great nicknames he gave to various Lakers. There was The Captain for Kareem, Kobe Bryant was The Kid, Michael Cooper was The Secretary of Defense, Derek Fisher was D-Fish, Rick Fox was Foxy, and Jerry West was Mr. Clutch.

MUST-READ: The Los Angeles Lakers all-time starting lineup

His style of broadcasting quickly caught the ear of many and made him known not only in the sports world but in other areas as well. He would go on to also work in film and television in such films as Fletch with Chevy Chase, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, as well as television shows such as The Simpsons, The Fugitive, and Rugrats. Hearn can also be heard on the Pink Floyd album, The Wall.

He called some of the most memorable games in Lakers history and saw so many great players come and go. The greatest of all honors was when he became the first broadcaster elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 2003.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the city of Los Angeles also renamed a portion of West 11th Street between Figueroa Street and Georgia Street to Chick Hearn Court. (Later changed to L.A. Live Way).

Hearn was also given a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as a bronze statue outside of the Staples Center. His name was later hung from the rafters among the retired numbers of past Lakers.

I have never heard anyone call a game that even comes close to Chick Hearn. If you never heard him do it, go and google a game with him broadcasting. Sit back and listen. You will find that no matter how good or bad the game is, Chick was always on and he always made listening to a wonderful experience. There was only one Chick Hearn and he was by far the greatest.

Some of his most memorable Chickisms were: “Bunny hop in the pea patch.”, “The mustard is off the hot dog.”, and of course the most famous of all, “The game is in the refrigerator. The door is closed, the lights are out, the butter’s getting hard, the eggs are cooling, and the Jell-O’s jiggling!”