An ode to Bob Rathbun
The Hawks' play-by-play guy is just having fun
Perhaps the glass is half empty rather than half full when I scan through League Pass streams. I’m frequently aggravated by the local announcing crews, alternating between eyerolls and reaches for the mute button. That annoyance (which is increasing as I annoyingly near my 30s) is a bad habit of mine — I need to be less negative overall. But it also helps me appreciate the crews I do enjoy.
Mike Breen and Walt Frazier spark legit joy, despite the fact that I would consider myself a bona fide Knicks’ hater (sorry!). Charlotte’s Eric Collins expertly toes the line between entertaining and over the top and is always one “Hum-diddly-dee” away from going viral. Ian Eagle is overqualified as the Nets’ play-by-play guy, and I could also say nice things about the Blazers’, Lakers’, and Mavericks’ crews. One stands above the pack, in my eyes: Bob Rathbun.
As I watched the Hawks, a dwindling, injury-riddled team in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, face the Pistons in early February, I couldn’t help but crack a smile. The always cheery Rathbun was simply on another level. He’s long been my favorite local NBA announcer and he’s somehow still getting better.
The 70-year-old is not what the young-heads call an old-head. He doesn’t whine about bad shot selection when a player takes an early-shot-clock triple (unlike his partner in crime, Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, who is likeable and good at his job as well, but is always ready to point out a poor shot). Nor does he try to force a catchphrase after every big moment, incessantly bicker about officiating (even when it may be warranted), display over-the-top homerism, or any of the other things that’s on my Bingo card for annoying announcers.
Take his call of Trae Young’s game-winner from the match. It’s 18 seconds of basketball-calling bliss. A one-man fast break of breathless description. Trae followed up his improbable fadeaway by performing an Iverson step over of Malik Beasley, which Rathbun dubbed the “Motown Stomp.”
Or, take this clip from an epic finish against the Jazz. He hits all the notes here. From the voice-raising excitement of the Dyson Daniels deflection, to letting the Utah crowd react to the game-tying shot, to the deserved eruption directly after declaring the Hawks’ timeout situation.
Of course, Rathbun doesn’t just show up for these late-game wonders. The joyful broadcaster brings his A game from first quarter to final whistle.
Back to the homerism point from before, Rathbun obviously pulls for the Hawks. But it’s not in a way in which you picture him calling the game with an Atlanta foam finger on his hand and a Josh Smith jersey on his back. This is far cry from the bottom of the barrel commentating crews, who act like any foul or missed call is a preconceived slight against the entire franchise. Golden State’s crew came in dead last on Awful Announcing’s 2024 ranking of announcers primarily because of this reason.
These announcers are not supposed to call the game impartially. Local broadcasts exist for a reason — for the locals. But that bias does not have to get in the way of calling a game. The opponents are not faces on a wanted poster and, despite their flaws, refs are not out to get your team.
Rathbun does offer friendly jabs to those in opposite uniforms. Ranging from light ribbing to stoppage-time grumbles. He made the social-media waves earlier this season for his entertainingly exhaustive complaints of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s never-ending free-throw routine.
That’s probably the closest he’s come to sounding like a run-of-the-mill old-head homer that make up most of the local commentating crews. (To his defense, Antetokounmpo attempted 26 free throws during the match that stretched past two hours and 20 minutes). Some (mostly Milwaukee fans) complained about that semi-viral clip, while most got a kick out of it.
Egregious free-throw routines aside, Rathbun loves basketball. That’s evident every time he grabs the microphone. You can practically hear him smiling as he describes a De’Andre Hunter jumper, a steal by Dyson Daniels or an air-walking jam from an opposing player. He loves it all.
That much was clear after he suffered a 2022 health scare, passing out on live television. He spent five nights at a hospital and missed four games — four games too many by his count. In a piece on The Athletic that chronicled the incident, Rathbun shot down a retirement question like Dikembe Mutombo swatting away a ball.
“Retire? Why? I’m OK!” he said. “Heavens no. I cannot wait to get back. This ain’t work. This is the NBA. This is so much fun.”
The man loves his job and passes down that fun to everyone who takes in a Hawks game. From 60-win seasons to rebuilding years to play-in purgatory, Rathbun is cheery and energetic every game, every season.
If he does feature anything that resembles a signature catchphrase, it’s “Got it!” A booming exclamation that sometimes follows a key fourth-quarter bucket. Scanning through League Pass streams, only a few announcers seem to truly have it. Rathbun’s got it.