Sixers broadcasters Abdelnaby, Zumoff to call hoops at Olympics

ALAA ABDELNABY remembers the embarrassment he felt as a young boy growing up in North Jersey. He'd go to a friend's house with orders from his mom, Selia, to call her when he got there. Being a dutiful son, Abdelnaby would make the call. When he assured her he was fine, he was always met with silence at the other end. He could feel his mom's impatience growing through the phone line. Selia didn't want to hear her son's words in English, but rather in Arabic.

Abdelnaby, who just completed his first season as the color analyst for Sixers' telecasts on Comcast SportsNet with play-by-play man Marc Zumoff, was born in Alexandria, Egypt, before his family moved to New Jersey when Abdelnaby was 2. It was important to his mother that her son, a McDonald's all-American at Bloomfield High School before playing for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, be fluent in Arabic while growing up American.

Little did Adbelnaby know that his mother's persistence would lead to so many great opportunities, including getting to call men's basketball in Arabic at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this August.

Not to be outdone, Zumoff also will be in Brazil. Zumoff, who just finished his 22nd season calling Sixers games, will do play-by-play for the U.S. women's games on NBC, with a group that will include Ann Meyers and Ros Gold-Onwude. Former Sixers coach Doug Collins will by the color analyst alongside Marv Albert and Craig Sager for the U.S. men's games, as well as the gold medal game for the network.

Calling games in Arabic isn't something new for Abdelnaby, who began doing NBA games in Arabic in 1995. This will be the fifth time he has called the Olympics in Arabic, the largest member of the Semitic language family, in terms of speakers.

"The first time I did a game in Arabic, it was the 1995 NBA All-Star game in Phoenix for Orbit (Satellite Television), and I was so bad," he recalled. "I just wasn't used to saying things like 'rebounds' or 'traveling' in Arabic. So it was certainly a struggle. I think the only reason they had me back was because, being a former player, I was able to get each of the All-Stars to introduce themselves on our feed (in English). I think I've gotten better since then, and the sports world has gotten a lot smaller as far as understanding English, so that has helped."

Speaking about his family, Abdelnaby said with a laugh: "Whenever I see my mom and dad, my mom still insists that me, my brother and sister speak Arabic. They speak perfect English, but still insist that their kids speak Arabic to them. I was so embarrassed as a kid, because any time you have to do something different it makes you feel out of place. But it didn't take me long to realize why she was so insistent. She wanted her kids to be well-rounded and be proud of being able to communicate in another language.

"And look where it's gotten me. I've been able to take her places because of the work I've done in Arabic. I've been able to cover the Olympics and travel all over the world because of her insistence that I learn Arabic. I guess it's true. Moms always know best."

It will be the first Olympics work for Zumoff, who has become as synonymous with the Sixers as just about any player. He humbly, and maybe not totally truthfully, told the story of how he landed his Olympic gig.

"Jon Slobotkin, who I hired as an intern in the days of PRISM, is producing for the Olympics," Zumoff said. "They were in a meeting and someone asked if they knew anyone who could do play-by-play. He mentioned me. I sent them a demo and now here I am doing it."

A meticulous preparer for Sixers games, Zumoff will be a little out of his comfort zone in calling the women's game, but looks forward to the challenges.

"About a year ago, I did a sled hockey tournament for NBC," said the 60 year-old. "So that was way out of my element. At least this is basketball. In terms of the women's game, I have a lot to learn, let alone foreign teams and pronouncing names correctly.

"But I'm paired with Ann Meyers. That's like playing with LeBron James. We're talking about someone who's done multiple Olympics. She's a Hall of Famer, an executive and someone who does the analysis for the Phoenix Suns. She has already reached out, and we've opened the lines of communication and have already built a good relationship."

Though no Sixers players will be stepping on the court in Rio de Janeiro, the team certainly will be well represented by its television broadcasting crew.

@BobCooney76

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