Lawrence Tanter

Taylor Geas

“I’ve seen Doug Christie uppercut Rick Fox. &nbsp;&nbsp;

I saw Kevin McHale assault Kurt Rambis. &nbsp;

I’ve seen Kobe Bryant put on some of the most dazzling performances in NBA history. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

I’ve seen the muscle, the intensity of Shaquille O’Neal.I’ve seen the grace of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.I’ve seen the intuition and creativity of a 6’9” point guard from Lansing, Michigan named Earvin Magic Johnson—up close and personal.&nbsp;

These elements are so—I mean some people have never been to an NBA game in their life, they’ve seen everything on TV. But to see it up close, and to hear it, and to feel the talcum powder of&nbsp;LeBron James sprinkling on my face before a game—all of these elements are just part of the whole book of my life — and it’s, it’s pretty humbling.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

It’s 5:33 pm PST on Friday, December 16, 2022, and the Lakers are set to face&nbsp;the Denver Nuggets in about an hour and a half.&nbsp;Sitting at one of the center tables in the&nbsp;Chick Hearn Press Room at Crypto.com Arena is Lawrence Tanter. Tanter, known to all as “LT” has been the PA announcer for the Lakers for 40 seasons. &nbsp;&nbsp;

LT likes to be at the arena two hours prior to tip-off but his gameday preparation begins at the start of his day. A sheet titled “LT’s 1-2-3's” featuring the team rosters is sent to his email the morning of game day. He takes the time to run through the names that will be rolling off his tongue like second nature in a few hours.   

After about a 30-minute commute to 1111 S Figueroa St, featuring the smooth sounds of jazz from Sirius XM Real Jazz or a personal playlist, the voice of Lakers Basketball emerges in the press room.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For a man that commands the attention of nearly 19,000 fans, LT softly glides into the hub of team media and staff. He takes his seat unassumingly.  

He sits at the roundtable sporting a gray, short-sleeved Lakers polo, khakis, a plaid scarf, and a newsboy cap. Draped over his chair are his black jacket and a navy-blue messenger bag, and on the table in front of him, his pregame dinner and an orange soda.

“The similarities between basketball and jazz are so profound. A quintet—they depend on one another to create magic and a winning formula, America’s gifts to the world,” he says. &nbsp;&nbsp;

His colleagues that will accompany him at the scorer’s table take their seats around LT for dinner. &nbsp;&nbsp;

When he’s done eating, LT pulls out a sheet of paper from a folder in his bag, an outline he created that covers his&nbsp;script for the night with blank spaces for him to fill in the specific game information. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“I think I’m the only person in the NBA that does this,” he points to the media section at the top of his script. “But because I was on the radio, I feel it’s important information to share.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

He continues to run through his script section by section. LT explains that the starting five lineups won’t be announced until about half an hour before tip-off. He points to the coaching section underneath the starting five and acknowledges that tonight he’ll only be announcing the head coach’s name. “I’ll usually say the assistant coaches’ names too, but for a nationally televised game you have to be more efficient,” he explains. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“I’m a public address announcer. I’m not a public address cheerleader,” he says with a clever grin. &nbsp;&nbsp;

LT continues, “a&nbsp;lot of what I learned was on the job— primarily from John Radcliffe the official scorer for the Lakers, and Chick Hearn.” They taught him the impact of precise cadence and the power that comes with&nbsp;embracing your own style. &nbsp;&nbsp;

At a little after 6:00 pm, a man walks through the back door of the press room. “That’s Bob Steiner, he was Dr. Jerry Buss’ left-hand man, 89 years old,” LT says. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“How ya doing buddy?” he asks Bob as he passes by the table. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“This is the man that hired me,” LT announces.&nbsp;

“One of the rare, good decisions,” Bob replies. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Larry McKay, the Lakers' former PA announcer, was put on the night shift at the radio station he also worked for. At the same time, LT called up his friend and Lakers forward at the time, Jamaal Wilkes, and inquired about joining the Lakers as a backup PA. He and two other men covered summer league games as an audition, Tanter was the chosen one.

After about ten years, LT was offered an opportunity as a disc jockey at a radio station in Sacramento, he couldn’t pass it up.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It was the worst year of my life,” Bob declared. “Jerry wanted a replacement who sounded like Lawrence—we couldn’t find anyone.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

When LT returned to Los Angeles about a year later, he gave the Lakers a call and told them if they were looking for a backup, he’d love to be considered. He was rehired immediately. 

“He gets the emphasis not through volume, so many announcers yell, Lawrence lowers,” Bob explains. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“I learned that from John Radcliffe and Chick Hearn,” LT says.&nbsp;&nbsp;

It’s 6:35 pm, time for LT to take the scorer's table. He puts his black jacket on and grabs his messenger bag. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“I’ve had this for 25 years, I think it’s time for a new bag,” he says laughing a little. &nbsp;

He adjusts his scarf, and in a calm, deliberate manner exits the press room. As he makes moves to his post, he smiles and nods at the staff and security along his path.   

"The generational aspect of lineage among families with the Lakers is really special," LT outlines. "You never know who you’re going to meet and who you’re going to talk to — what they remember and what they forgot. How they perceive the Lakers is based on their ability to intertwine with the Lakers. It’s like a symbiotic relationship with the fans of this city and this country. It’s not a casual relationship whatsoever."

It’s 6:39 pm and he takes his seat&nbsp;at the middle of the scorer’s table. He removes his newsboy cap and takes out his script. To his right are two containers, one with bubble gum and the other with mints. And right beside the gum and mints are court grip, hand cream, and powder— LeBron’s infamous&nbsp;talcum powder. &nbsp;&nbsp;

He continues to fill in his script now that he has the starting five but takes a brief moment to announce the radio and television stations where the game will be broadcast.   

The referees approach the table and LT leans back smoothly and gives them the finger-gun fingers. He always asks the referees how long they’ve been officiating so he can share that information when he announces their names, “give them their props,” he explains.   

As the lights lower in the arena, signaling the start of the game, LT turns on a small, black desk lamp and continues to fill in the starting five lineups. &nbsp;&nbsp;

When prompted, he stops writing and reads a line from his script, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen...welcome to Crypto.Com Arena...” then he continues writing until he’s prompted again. &nbsp;&nbsp;

His baritone voice bounces off the rafters but sitting right beside LT, you wouldn’t realize the words are coming from him with how effortless his technique is. He’s struck the perfect formula to be captivating but never distracting.

A little after 7:00 pm, once the starting lineups have been announced, King James comes to the table, he grabs the bottle sitting there and peppers a little powder on LT, then on the table, scoops it into his hands, and the iconic chalk toss graces the table and signals the start of the game. LT keeps his composure the whole time but can’t help but crack a smile as his script lays in front of him dusted with talcum powder. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Once the ball is tipped, LT keeps his left middle finger&nbsp;on the “mic on/off” button. When he makes a call, he grabs the mic on his Sennheiser headset with his right hand and holds it close to his mouth like someone would if they were saying something important over an old-style&nbsp;telephone. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“How ya doin’, Coach” he says on a stoppage of play to Head Coach Darvin Ham standing in front of the bench. They dap each other up. &nbsp;&nbsp;

His eyes span the floor back and forth and 99 percent of the time he remains stoic—except on the big plays, he’ll smile just a bit in those moments. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Off a steal in the second quarter, LBJ charges down the floor on a fastbreak and slams it down, erupting the crowd. But LT’s voice breaks through the noise and emerges above the roars, “LeBronnnnnnnn Jaaaaaaaames.”   

He takes his right hand off his mic and index finger off the button; he looks over and says, "Can you believe it?" with a big smile.

Like the drummer and the bassist in a jazz band, LT and Lakers Basketball have an unspoken understanding, they rely on one another to maintain a tempo that has made this game different for 40 seasons.   

“Anyone that does something for 40 years whether it’s PA announcing, gardening,” LT says with a little chuckle,&nbsp;“if you can do your craft for a long time and try to make a contribution along the way, I think that’s an honorable assessment of who you are as a citizen, as a human being, as a contributor to society. So, I’m proud of my longevity.”&nbsp;

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40 Seasons of Listening to LT

Rodrigo Azurmendi

EL SEGUNDO – La primera semana de la temporada baja no pasó sin novedades en el mundo Lakers.

Lo más significativo ha sido el viaje de gran parte de la cúpula ejecutiva a Europa, donde están viendo jugadores de cara al Draft del próximo 21 de junio.

Vale recordar que los Lakers cuentan con las selecciones No. 25 (adquirida en el canje con Cleveland en febrero) y No. 47 (ex propiedad de Denver, adquirida en el canje de José Calderón en el verano de 2016).

De esta forma, el gerente general Rob Pelinka y su asistente Jesse Buss se unieron en el viejo continente al scout español Antonio Maceiras y al turco Can Pelister.

Francia fue una de las primeras visitas, con paradas en Mónaco y Paris. La siguiente fue Atenas (Grecia), donde presenciaron el encuentro de Euroliga entre Panathinaikos y Real Madrid.

También hubo pasos por España, entre ellos Valladolid (para un Valladolid-Barcelona B de la LEB Oro) y una visita de Pelister al Fenerbahce-Baskonia de los cuartos de final de la Euroliga.

El sábado fue el turno de Belgrado, donde visitaron el estadio Aleksandr Nikolic Hall para presenciar el juego entre Estrella Roja y Mega Leks.

Esta semana se anunció que Lawrence Tanter, la voz del estadio en STAPLES Center en los juegos de los Lakers, regresará en 2018-19 para su temporada No. 36.

Tanter se perdió dos partidos en el tramo final de la temporada, cortando una racha de más de 800 juegos consecutivos. El locutor estuvo presente sin falta durante más de dos décadas.

El novato de los Lakers, tras una temporada exitosa en la que lideró al equipo en goleo con 16.1 puntos por noche, charló con Baron Davis sobre su vida dentro y fuera de la cancha.

La historia de Andre Ingram y su debut en la NBA a los 32 años causó furor.

El escolta visitó a Kevin Garnett en su programa KG Area 21 y se divirtió junto a una leyenda de la liga.

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Temporada baja: Ingram, Kuzma, Tanter y scouting europeo

Los Angeles Lakers

A frenzied excitement builds among the fan faithful as the music pulsates through the darkened STAPLES Center arena, breathing life into its walls. The raucous crowd, bubbling with anticipation, greet their golden garbed heroes with cheers as the men jump from side to side, trying to keep their bodies warm and their nerves in check. And then, as if spoken from the heavens, the omniscient voice booms, "ON YOUR FEET—TIME TO GREET THE HOME TEAM . . ." and the drama unfolds as if this night is like no other.

Tanter is a 40-year vet who's seen ten Lakers championships.

With a presence large enough to rival the Wizard of Oz, Lawrence Tanter sits courtside, front and center, as the public address announcer for the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers. Using a tabletop microphone and a watchful eye, he performs night-in and night-out playing up the emotion of sellout crowds.

Tanter’s story is rooted in two of America’s greatest inventions—basketball and jazz. As a young man growing up in Chicago, he pursued both popular interests. His skills on the basketball court earned him a scholarship to the University of Dubuque, while his love for music landed him on student radio, hosting The L.T. Jazz Show, a launching pad for Tanter’s future success.

He began carving his niche in the early 1970s on the local jazz scene. From his college days to his contributions at Stevie Wonder’s Los Angeles-based radio station (KJLH) where he helped popularize the smooth jazz genre, Tanter’s fascination for America’s classical music was becoming a boundless passion.

"Jazz is such a creative art form that employs the highest degree of mental stimulation," explains Tanter with an enthusiastic grin. "It makes your mind move your body versus other music that just moves your body and leaves your mind on vacation. It’s also the only indigenous art form that this country has given the world—it all came from here." Filling the airwaves with his cool personality, soulful style and rich tone, this 30-year veteran of commercial jazz radio became one of the most recognizable voices in Southern California.

"My feeling was, years ago, that people paid money to come and see the Lakers, not to hear some clown on the PA. I use enthusiasm when the appropriate time comes, but I’m not a cheerleader and I don’t want to be."

Tanter eventually found his way back to basketball. He got his break with the Lakers in 1982. His inquiry about a backup announcer position resulted in a one game trial on the arena microphone. "They called me up and said I had the gig. I was like, ‘woah, really?’ It was Magic’s third year, Worthy was a rookie, Kareem, Cooper and that whole crew—It was a dream come true. It’s been 18 years since and I’ve seen and been a part of five championships."

His mild demeanor and subtle genius separate him from other public address announcers. "I think I’m different than a lot of guys in other cities because I’m not a screamer. My feeling was, years ago, that people paid money to come and see the Lakers, not to hear some clown on the PA. I use enthusiasm when the appropriate time comes, but I’m not a cheerleader and I don’t want to be."

Any good announcer knows that capturing different moods within the game flow is essential, and Tanter’s eyes and ears have taken his voice to another level. From the dissonant tone sensed in his voice when announcing an opponent basket, to the sensual declaration of "The Laker Girls" as the ladies hold pose following each routine, or his bellowing pronunciation of "Koh-be" or "Oh-Neal" after a ferocious dunk, Tanter’s delivery and execution are nearly flawless. The confident simplicity and creativity he employs continue to set the standard in arena announcing.

His love for music and basketball has afforded him the opportunity to share his knowledge and passion with thousands, including hometown legends. "A lot of my friendship with Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] was predicated on music. He was a jazz aficionado too so we were friends before I even worked the with Lakers, based on our affinity for music."

Tanter’s passion transcends all generations. "Of all the current players," he states, "the one I talk with the most is Kobe [Bryant]. We have a pretty good relationship and I’ve been sharing jazz with him. I had a feeling he would enjoy it if he was given the opportunity to check it out."

The music selections of L.T. stream into homes and businesses over the internet, via www.kjazz.net, and across the airwaves on KJAZ, 1260 on the AM dial, during his 1 to 5 PM slot Monday through Friday. As a DJ and the Director of Programming for KJAZ (one of only three commercial jazz radio stations in the country), Tanter has found happiness.

"My father told me some years ago, ‘if you have to work, do something you enjoy, because it becomes your craft versus work.’ You get compensated for something you enjoy and then you can give something more than just putting in time on the clock . . . you can provide a little bit of your own heart and soul."

Whether performing on the Lakers’ worldly stage or broadcasting jazz across the globe, Lawrence Tanter’s heart and soul go a long way.

Lawrence Tanter

40 Seasons of Listening to LT

Temporada baja: Ingram, Kuzma, Tanter y scouting europeo

Broadcasting Live: Lawrence Tanter, Basketball and All That Jazz