Two broadcasters familiar to Nets fans in both New Jersey and Brooklyn will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame this summer as winners of the Curt Gowdy Award. provided to journalists who’ve covered the sport. The Hoop Hall announced Friday that Chris Carrino and Mike Fratello were among four recipients selected for the Gowdy Award.
The two appear to be the first Gowdy winners who spent much of their careers covering the Nets…
Chris Carrino has served as the Brooklyn Nets’ radio play-by-play announcer since 2002, having joined the organization in 1992 as a studio producer and feature reporter. He steadily worked his way up to studio host, backup play-by-play announcer, and ultimately the team’s lead radio voice. Over more than two decades on the call, Carrino has narrated many of the franchise’s defining moments, including consecutive NBA Finals appearances and the Nets’ historic first game in Brooklyn.
A respected national basketball broadcaster, Carrino has called men’s and women’s basketball for NBC at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games, and serves as Westwood One’s national radio voice of the NCAA Tournament.
A graduate of Fordham University and former standout on WFUV, Carrino was mentored by legendary broadcaster Marty Glickman and was later inducted into the Iona Prep Hall of Fame. In 2023, he was honored with the NBA’s Values of the Game Award, recognizing his excellence on-air and his impact within the league community.
Fratello was often paired with Ian Eagle and Marv Albert on YES Network broadcasts during his decade covering the Nets, often with his famed Telestrator….
Mike Fratello is an Emmy-winning basketball analyst and former NBA and FIBA head coach, widely known as “Czar of the Telestrator” for his innovative use of on-screen play diagramming. In the early 1990s, Fratello began his national broadcasting career with NBC Sports, working alongside legendary play-by-play announcer Marv Albert to call NBA games for three seasons. Albert and Fratello also called all the games of the “Dream Team” at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Fratello’s broadcast contributions have earned him a 2015 New York Emmy Award for Best Sports Analyst and four consecutive nominations (2012-15). His relationship with Turner Sports spans decades, including NBA playoff coverage (1994-96), regular-season work (1999-2004), and Thursday night NBA coverage alongside Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, and Reggie Miller (2009-13). He later joined NBA GameTime Live (2014-19) and appeared on select NBA on TNT telecasts.
Beyond national broadcasts, Fratello served as color commentator for the Nets on YES Network for 10 seasons (2008-18), the Cavaliers on Bally Sports Ohio from 2016-23, and currently serves as analyst for the Clippers. His nine-season YES Network run with play-by-play announcers Marv Albert, Ian Eagle, and Ryan Ruocco contributed to the broadcast team’s 2014 New York Emmy for Best Live Sports Series.
Congratulations to the duo for all their work and all the enjoyment they’ve given us over the years.
