The Indiana Pacers have one of the best broadcast teams in sports. In its 24th season on FOX Sports Indiana, the television team was nominated for 11 Emmys
It’s possible that Indiana Pacers fans take the broadcast teams for granted because they’re so consistently reliable.
There’s a saying that goes something like “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”. That someone may or may not come from an 80’s glam metal band named Cinderella, but there is still plenty of credence in the message.
The Pacers have one of the best broadcast teams in all of sports. That is a part of a franchise that can often be forgotten when the voices come from individuals without last names such as Alberts, Breen, or Eagle.
Indiana’s broadcast team includes last names such as Denari, Boyle, Buckner, Leonard, Johnson, Boylan, White, and Gill, and it is time Pacers fans put them in the same premier category as the Alberts, Breens, and Eagles of the world.
In its 24th season on FOX Sports Indiana, the television team was recently nominated for 11 Lower Great Lakes Emmy Awards. Some of those nominations included Chris Denari and Quinn Buckner in the Sports Analyst/Sports Play-by-Play category and Jeremiah Johnson in the Talent-Performer/Host/Narrator category.
Denari, Buckner, and Johnson have set the standard for all future Pacers television broadcast teams. Now in its sixth season, the trio has been together since Johnson joined the broadcast for the 2014-15 season. Denari and Buckner have been sitting next to each other for Pacers broadcasts for 14 seasons (2006-07) while Buckner’s first time on your TV sets as a Pacers analyst was during the 1998-99 campaign.
While longevity does not always equal greatness, Denari has the accolades to back up his greatness as the voice of the Pacers on your television. He was named the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Broadcaster of the Year in 2003 and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2016.
There are plenty of fun personalities in sports broadcasting (led by the ever-entertaining Bill Walton). Quinn Buckner’s fun, basketball-loving personality can lead to regular hearty chuckles on-air and we all love his famous “Smothered Chicken!” when the Pacers block a shot.
SMOTHERED CHICKEN ALL DAY LONG. https://t.co/fAZBuonTGE
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) November 3, 2018
Pat Boylan, Eddie White, and former Pacer Eddie Gill help round out the top-notch television crew.
If you’ve ever tuned in to a Pacers game while stuck in a car, you’ve had the great pleasure of listening to one of the best play-by-play broadcasters in the business and one of basketball’s greatest treasures as his color analyst.
Mark Boyle has talked Pacers basketball over the air for more than three decades and is a five-time National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Indiana Sportscaster of the Year. His smooth delivery and unrivaled honesty are sure to keep your attention.
"“The biggest thing I’ve learned from Mark is creativity with the English language,” said Connor Onion, TV voice of the Southern Illinois University Salukis. “He’s done Pacer games for three decades and it hasn’t gotten stale because of his wit, vocabulary, and creativity.”"
A former Pacers head coach for 12 seasons and the sole reason (along with his wife Nancy) Indiana residents still have a local team to root for, “Slick” Leonard’s basketball knowledge is unmatched.
The two-time All-American was the first-ever inductee into the Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. “Slick” has no shortage of incredible basketball stories and his patented “Boom, Baby!” catchphrase after a Pacers three-ball is sure to bring a smile to fans everywhere.
It’s easy to forget about the radio team in a world where every home has a 60-inch television in every room. The team of Boyle and “Slick” ranks near the top of the NBA in entertainment value night in and night out.
"“Pacers fans shouldn’t take it for granted to have a consistent radio voice like Mark Boyle,” said Jevin Redman, the play-by-play voice for the University of Evansville athletics. “I hope people appreciate his ability to be honest, credible, but also entertaining. ‘Slick’ compliments Mark well too, giving the fans a real ‘fan feel’ broadcast.”"
Like Connor Onion and Jevin Redman, Pacers fans should not take for granted the incredible talent that brings us Pacers action each game night. The next time you’re in in the car around game time, turn the dial to Boyle and “Slick”. When watching the game on your giant TV, don’t hit the mute button. Turn up the volume and enjoy. We know great teams don’t last forever. Let’s enjoy these teams while we can.