“6-6, 20th year out of Lower Merion High School, Kob-eeeeee Bryant!”… Does this line feel familiar to you? When the basketball world was shocked by Kobe Bryant’s sudden death in 2020, it was the Los Angeles Lakers public-address announcer who came up with a touching tribute. As the Purple and Gold stars stepped onto the court for the first time since the helicopter crash, Lawrence Tanter decided to introduce all five Lakers starters with the same line.

But the veteran announcer who’s called generational greatness from the LA sidelines has decided to call it a day. Tanter is retiring from his position after manning the microphone for 40+ years at home games, the team announced on Tuesday. The 76-year-old will remain a special advisor for the Lakers’ game presentations. This decision comes only months after he suffered a health complication.

Tanter suffered a stroke in March, according to ESPN. It caused him to miss the last 6 regular-season home games and the postseason. The Lakers’ G League affiliate PA announcer Jason Barquero handled the duties in LT’s absence at the end of the season. It is also important to note that the LA team hasn’t cited health concerns as the reason behind the transition. The press release carried Governor Jeanie Buss’ reflection on Tanter’s commitment.

“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,” Buss said. “I am incredibly grateful for everything he has given to this franchise.”

The Lakers still haven’t named a permanent replacement for Tanter, who, in retrospect, had a funny interaction with Michael Jordan decades ago. At that time, though, the tension on the sidelines was heating up quickly!

“I remember one night, Michael Jordan, in a preseason game, was just destroying the Lakers, lighting the team up,” Tanter told WBUR in 2019. “He came back into the game in the fourth period, and I normally don’t do this, but I told Michael he was in front of me at the scorer’s bench about to check in. I said, ‘Mike, lighten up a little bit.’ And he looked at me. Have you ever had the devil look at you and say, like, ‘How dare you ask me to lighten up? That’s not a part of my motif. I don’t lighten up.’ And I didn’t say anything after that. I said, ‘Excuse me, Mr. Jordan. I apologize.’”

Tanter has been at the mic to witness the Lakers win nearly 10 championships. But you won’t find the legendary announcer flaunting any of his rings. Instead, they’re in a safe deposit box. When asked why he wouldn’t showcase his own team’s achievements to the world, he said it was “a little bit too ostentatious for me.”

How did the Lakers meet the person whose deep voice would serve as the soundtrack to their starting lineups, substitutions, fouls, and score announcements for 43 seasons?

LT, the legend: From radio booths to Lakers immortality

Long before the fans associated LT’s voice with Lakers basketball, Tanter was building a career in radio. The Chicago native had two passions. One of basketball and the other of jazz music. Back in the 1950s, his dad took him to see the Harlem Globetrotters, featuring Wilt Chamberlain. That’s where he fell in love with the game. He also grew up in a musical family, which is where he developed an affinity for music.

“My uncle played with Charlie Parker,” LT said in 2019. “My sister used to sing with the Floyd Campbell Orchestra. So there’s been this musical connection in my family over the years.”

Tanter moved to LA in the early 1970s and spent years shaping the city’s radio space, catering to a sophisticated jazz audience. Years later, the Lakers acquired Abdul Jabbar, and that got Tanter going to their games at the Forum.

“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,’” Tanter said. “I said, ‘Maybe I should apply to be a backup. Everybody needs a backup.’”

Tanter was already friends with Jamaal Wilkes, who then introduced him to the Lakers’ publicist. He submitted his audition tape and resume, but didn’t become the next announcer because Larry McKay occupied that spot.

But LT’s life took a U-turn in 1982 when the Lakers finally called him up! And the rest is history.

“They called me up and said I had the gig. I was like, ‘Whoa, really?’ It was Magic’s third year, Worthy was a rookie, Kareem, Cooper, and that whole crew. It was a dream come true,” Tanter said.

Following that, Tanter had a relentless run as a PA announcer for four decades, announcing numerous championships, Western Conference titles, and iconic moments. His voice carried a rhythm that created an unbreakable bond with the fans. During the NBA bubble in 2020, Tanter had recorded the player introductions in his home studio, recreating a familiar atmosphere during tough times.

Now that Tanter is moving into an advisory role, the team has the Herculean task of replacing him. The organization can easily find a replacement, but it can’t replace the voice that has traveled with the fans for over four decades.