“I’ve seen Doug Christie uppercut Rick Fox, saw Kevin McHale assault Kurt Rambis. I’ve seen overtime games. I’ve seen Kobe Bryant put on some of the most dazzling performances in NBA history. I’ve seen the muscle, the intensity of Shaquille O’Neal. I’ve seen the grace of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I’ve seen the intuition and creativity of a 6’9” point guard from Lansing, Michigan named Earvin Magic Johnson—up close and personal,” Lawrence Tanter once said.

LT has seen it all, from the Staples Forum to Crypto.com Arena, becoming more than just a voice behind the mic. To the Lakers, he’s part of the team’s soul, a living bridge between eras. But that calm, tasteful rhythm didn’t arrive overnight. It began in a different city and a different life, and it explains everything about why Tanter remains the LA side’s definitive on-court presence.

Lawrence Tanter’s Early Life & Background

Lawrence Tanter was born in Chicago and raised with two obsessions, namely basketball and music. He played the saxophone and clarinet in school and carried that rhythmic understanding into college student radio at the University of Dubuque, where he hosted The L.T. Jazz Show.

Tanter also played college basketball as a forward. Slowly, he began to carve out his niche in the local jazz scene. “The similarities between basketball and jazz are so profound. A quintet—they depend on one another to create magic and a winning formula, America’s gifts to the world,” Tanter says.

Lawrence Tanter’s Career

Tanter entered the LA radio scene in the 1970s and shaped his life as a jazz loyalist, becoming a familiar voice on stations that catered to a late-night, sophisticated audience. The Lakers then hired him as their public-address announcer in the early 1980s after he cleared a one-game trial. “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. It’s been 18 years since, and I’ve seen and been a part of five championships,” Tanter later reminisced.

Since the 1982–83 season, he’s been a regular at the Purple and Gold side’s home games. Over 40 seasons, he has introduced starting lineups, tempered playoff drama, and recorded intros for bubble-era games, all while maintaining the same calming voice.

It’s the technique that turns a player’s name into ritual, and it’s why milestones like championships feel, just for a moment, ceremonial when LT speaks. Over the years, Tanter has become one of the most recognizable voices in LA.

Tanter once recalled, “I remember one night, Michael Jordan, in a preseason game, was just destroying the Lakers… And he came back into the game in the fourth period. And I normally don’t do this, but I told Michael… 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.”

That, in essence, is Lawrence Tanter’s style. And that, too, is what has won him his life’s milestones. The approach carried him through the Forum years, the move to Staples Center, and the Crypto.com era. He has been part of every significant Lakers era since the 1980s and recorded special game presentations during the 2020 NBA Bubble, including coverage of 10 Lakers championships.

Tanter once spoke about his mantra of how he doesn’t get ahead of himself: “My feeling was, years ago, that people paid money to come and see the Lakers, not to hear some clown on the PA. I use enthusiasm when the appropriate time comes, but I’m not a cheerleader and I don’t want to be,” he said.

Lawrence Tanter’s Net Worth

There’s no public information available on Tanter’s net worth as of October 2025.

Tanter’s long tenure suggests steady earnings over decades, but his public profile is not built on flashy contracts. Instead, his value is cultural, the kind that shows up in longevity and trust rather than headline salary figures. And well, exact contract terms for team PA announcers are rarely disclosed.

Lawrence Tanter’s Contract and Salary

Industry specialists estimate that public-address roles in major NBA markets can range from $75,000 to well over $200,000 annually, depending on TV duties and radio work. For Tanter, who also held longtime jazz radio roles, compensation is likely a blend of salary, freelance fees, and, well, steady benefits.

Lawrence Tanter’s Honors

Major outlets have profiled Tanter, celebrated on team milestones, and tapped for signature duties in special settings, honors that show up as respect more than trophies. And speaking of silverware, LT is still the longest-tenured PA announcer LA has ever seen. With the Los Angeles Lakers, Tanter has witnessed 10 NBA championships and 16 NBA Western Conference titles.

Lawrence Tanter’s Other Roles & Interests

Off the hardwood, Tanter is a devoted jazz curator. He’s hosted and programmed jazz shows for decades and served as a radio program director, blending a love of music with the discipline of live broadcasting at KKJZ. A Chicago kid who merged music and sport into an unmistakable voice. And because LT’s career moves between jazz booths and the Lakers’ loudest nights, his next chapter will likely live at the intersection of culture and ceremony.

One more cue, one more name, and another night when the crowd hushes to hear him say it.