On January 31, 2020, the Lakers returned to Staples Center for the first time since Kobe Bryant’s death. The arena was covered in yellow. Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 were everywhere. Red roses sat on the courtside seats where Kobe and Gianna had last watched a game.

Then the lights went down.

Lawrence Tanter stepped to the microphone and began a starting lineup introduction that nobody in the building would forget. He called the same name five times, giving Kobe Bryant’s famous introduction each time: “6-foot-6, guard, 20th season from Lower Merion High School… Kobe Bryant.”

“We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of legendary Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter. For 43 years, LT’s voice served as the soundtrack to Lakers games at the arena. He will be remembered as a cherished member of the Lakers family.”

Those were the words from the Lakers on September 23, 2026, after Tanter died at 76. Just months earlier, he had stepped away from the microphone after 43 seasons with the franchise. And suddenly, the voice that had introduced generations of Lakers players was gone.

For many fans, Tanter’s voice was part of the Lakers experience before they even saw the first basket. But his story did not begin with Kobe, Shaq or LeBron. It started much earlier, when Tanter was simply a fan sitting in the Forum stands and wondering if he could do the job himself.

Tanter was already a Los Angeles radio personality when he started thinking about the Lakers’ public-address booth. He had built a career around jazz radio and had become a prominent voice at KJLH before working at KTWV and KKJZ. One night at the Forum, he watched then-Lakers public-address announcer John Ramsey and had a thought that would change the next four decades of his life.

“Listening to the public address announcer, who at that time was John Ramsey, and I said, ‘Wow, that’s an interesting gig. I think I could do that.’ I said, ‘Maybe I should apply to be a backup. Everybody needs a backup.'”

He did exactly that.

Through his friendship with Lakers forward Jamaal Wilkes, Tanter was introduced to team publicist John Black. He submitted a demo recorded using radio station equipment and initially did not get the job. But before the 1982-83 season, the Lakers gave him a one-game trial.

The job became his.

“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.”

That “one game” turned into 43 seasons.

Tanter arrived while Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Michael Cooper were building the Showtime Lakers. He stayed through the transition of the 1990s, the arrival of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the three-peat, Kobe’s second championship era, the team’s struggles after his retirement, LeBron James’ arrival and the 2020 championship.

More than 2,100 Lakers games later, Tanter had witnessed nearly every major chapter of the modern franchise from the same place: behind the microphone.

He announced Kobe’s 81-point game in 2006. He introduced Kobe for his final NBA game in 2016, when Bryant scored 60 points. He was there when LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record in 2023. And during the 2020 season, when the Lakers were playing inside the NBA’s Orlando bubble with no fans in the building, Tanter still found a way to make the games sound like Lakers games.

From his home studio in Porter Ranch, Tanter recorded hundreds of starting lineup variations, foul calls and scoring announcements. The Lakers’ game entertainment staff then used those recordings to create the arena audio for the team’s championship run.

Even when the fans were gone, his voice was still there.

But perhaps no moment showed what Tanter meant to the Lakers more clearly than that night in January 2020.

Five times, he introduced Kobe Bryant.

Five times, the arena answered.

“Kobe! Kobe!”

“MVP! MVP!”

Players embraced at center court as Tanter’s voice filled the building. It was not a regular starting lineup introduction anymore. It had become part of a citywide goodbye.

Years later, that same voice was still making history.

On March 4, 2025, LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to reach 50,000 combined regular-season and playoff points. Instead of trying to compete with the moment, Tanter simply let the arena take it in.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we all have just witnessed history.”

That restraint was part of what made Tanter different.

He did not need to scream to make an announcement feel important. His background in radio and jazz shaped the way he spoke, giving his introductions a smooth rhythm that became familiar to Lakers fans. “Kobeee Bryant” became one of his signatures. So did “The Laker girlllsss.”

For JJ Redick, that familiarity went far beyond a catchy introduction.

“He’s an iconic voice. It’s almost a comfort level with him being in this arena.”

That comfort had been built over decades.

Tanter was not only a broadcaster who happened to work Lakers games. He had his own connection to music and basketball long before he stepped into the Forum. He grew up in Chicago in a music-filled family, with an uncle who played jazz alongside Charlie Parker and a sister who sang with the Floyd Campbell Orchestra. His father also introduced him to basketball by taking him to see the Harlem Globetrotters, including a young Wilt Chamberlain.

Those two worlds stayed with him.

His son was named Miles, after jazz legend Miles Davis. Even at Lakers games, Tanter’s love of music followed him. He was known for talking jazz with people around the arena, including musicians, media members and courtside guests.

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist and Lakers season-ticket holder Flea remembered exactly that side of him.

“He was a great vibe dude, always engaged me in conversation about jazz, he was a music lover and the best announcer in the NBA. I realized when attending many other NBA arenas that no one else came close.”

Then came 2026.

Tanter suffered a stroke late in the 2025-26 season and missed the Lakers’ final six regular-season home games and the playoffs. Jason Barquero, the South Bay Lakers’ public-address announcer, stepped in.

In June, the Lakers announced that Tanter was retiring from active game-day duties after 43 seasons. He would remain with the organization as a Special Advisor for Game Presentation, giving him a new way to stay connected to the franchise he had spent most of his adult life representing.

But his health continued to decline.

In August, Tanter entered hospice care. Before doing so, he sent a final message to ESPN reporters about his career.

“Quote me, it’s been a blessing.”

A few weeks later, the voice that had greeted Lakers fans for more than four decades was gone.

Jeanie Buss had already put Tanter’s place in Lakers history into words when he retired.

“Lawrence Tanter has been an integral part of the Lakers gameday experience for more than four decades, setting the tone for countless memorable moments with his professionalism, energy and signature booming voice. Since the 1980s, LT has narrated every chapter of Lakers basketball, connecting generations of fans, players, coaches and staff while becoming a trusted and unforgettable part of the Lakers experience. I am incredibly grateful for everything he has given to this franchise.”

Now those words carry a different weight.

Mychal Thompson, who spent part of the Showtime era as a Lakers center, called for the team to honor Tanter this season.

“I hope the team wears an LT patch this season…”

Dwight Howard simply wrote, “Rest easy.”

And the reaction from around the basketball world continued.

But perhaps the most fitting tribute is one that does not need another quote.

For 43 seasons, Tanter was there when the lights came on. He was there when Magic and Kareem ruled the Forum. He was there when Shaq and Kobe brought the Lakers back to the top. He was there for Kobe’s final 60-point night. He was there when LeBron broke the scoring record. He was even there when the NBA moved its games to an empty bubble in Orlando.

He was there for the celebrations, the heartbreak, the introductions and the moments Lakers fans would remember long after the final buzzer.

Soon, another Lakers season will begin.

The lights will come on. The players will take the floor. The crowd will wait for the familiar introductions.

And for the first time in 43 seasons, Lawrence Tanter will not be the voice welcoming them home.