On Sept. 5, 2003, the legendary Chick Hearn of the Los Angeles Lakers became the first broadcaster inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The induction came a little over a year after his death in August of 2002.
When the Lakers moved to Los Angeles from Minneapolis in 1960, Hearn joined the organization as its play-by-play announcer, where he remained until the day of his unfortunate passing.
Hearn was legendary thanks to his ‘words-eye view’ style of commentary that made fans feel like they were in the building. He was the first to do a simulcast, broadcasting on television and radio at the same time, and never losing his form.