Sixers replacing Tom Lamaine as PA announcer
Tom Lamaine will not return as Sixers announcer next season. Lamaine confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Sixers CEO Adam Aron told him earlier this summer that the team was looking to go in a different direction. "He told me I gave them exactly what they wanted," Lamaine said Aron told him. "He's feeling his way through the NBA and he did a lot of traveling around to different stadiums. He heard more excitable guys, something I cannot be and don't want to be," he said.
Sixers replacing Tom Lamaine as PA announcer
Dan Gross
Tom Lamaine will not return as Sixers announcer next season.
Lamaine confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Sixers CEO Adam Aron told him earlier this summer that the team was looking to go in a different direction.
“He told me I gave them exactly what they wanted,” Lamaine said Aron told him. “He’s feeling his way through the NBA and he did a lot of traveling around to different stadiums. He heard more excitable guys, something I cannot be and don’t want to be,” he said.
“I’ve gotten away with being who I am for more than 40 years in this town and I ain’t about to change now,” said Lamaine, who worked for many years as a meteorologist at CBS 3.
“We appreciate everything Tom did for us last year, in a transitional year, but we are looking to go in a different direction in our game presentation to be more interactive,” Lara Price, Sixers senior VP of business operations said Wednesday.
Price said the team would have PA announcer tryouts later this month, open only to those with professional broadcasting experience at sporting events and a knowledge of basketball.
Lamaine, Price said, will remain as back-up announcer, a role he had while 93.3 WMMR DJ Matt Cord served for many years as Sixers announcer. Cord, who now hosts video reports for Sixers.com, never missed a game.
Lamaine served alongside Bill Campbell from 1970 to 1976 broadcasting Sixers games for WPHL-17. He now hosts "Memory Lane" on the first Sunday evening of every month for South Jersey's Kool 98.3.
Hopefully the Phillies will read this and get rid of the TV crew. Let the radio boys on screen!Pay off Wheeler for the naked picture he has been holding (against somebody)and move into this century with our announcers.— bk3131- Maybe Tom can go to the senior center and start calling bingo games there.
The understatement of the year: I am not excitable.— Pat c - I thought it was a mistake from the beginning.— AvoidSundanceVacations
Who the F is Tom Lamaine?- Please don't bring back annoying Cord. Is there any way to clone Dave Zinkoff, the best announcer the Sixers ever had.— Drew777
- Agree with AvoidSundance, it was a MISTAKE from the start. We need a MORE UPBEAT and LOUD announcer in the fashion of the 'Zink'. And lets think about a female. Wow, wouldnt that be different.— bartm
- There was only one Zink— Richardgozinya
- I've been waiting for this chance for a long time! I'm ready!!!— ohs79
bring back Matt Cord!!- Hey Aron, don't hire somebody too excitable. This is Philly where the majority of fans still go too see the game and not be entertained by some over zealous PA guy telling the fans when to cheer or make noise. Leave that to the towns, notice I did not say cities, of Orlando, Miami, Dallas and others where the "fans" go to see and be seen and have no knowledge of what is going on in front of them. Towns with no hoops pedigree.— tudorcity
- Tom Lamiane is an American icon who has devoted his life to covering sports and weather for the tri-state area. He has done this consistently with dignity and class. Most fans want the game to be the show and don't want the PA guy screaming players names or telling the fans when to make noise. Kudos to Tom for sticking by his principles.— JKJSMCD
You mean Tom 'Lame'— Ben Fan- tom has been in philly for over 30 years. started in radio. class act.— danielmcm
