John Andariese, a popular, longtime Knicks TV and radio analyst, died on Monday at age 78, the team announced.
Andariese, who was nicknamed “Johnny Hoops,” played at Fordham in the late 1950s, starring on two NIT teams. He joined Marv Albert on radio starting in 1972-73 — the Knicks’ last championship season.
He later was MSG’s primary television analyst from 1986-98, paired with Albert for the Knicks’ successful mid-1990s run, before being replaced by Walt Frazier. But he continued on as a radio analyst through 2012.
At the time, Andariese said he had had enough of the NBA grind and was ready to explore other facets of life.