( November 27 , 1916 - August 5 , 2002 ) was an American Sportscaster . Known primarily as the long-time Play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association , Hearn is remembered for his rapid fire, staccato broadcasting style, inventing colorful phrases such as ''slam dunk'', ''air ball'', and ''no harm, no foul'' that have become common basketball vernacular, and for broadcasting 3,338 consecutive Lakers games starting on November 21 , 1965 . Hearn had missed the Lakers' game the previous night after having been stranded in Fayetteville, Arkansas by inclement weather after having announced a college football game there. Even that was only Hearn's second missed assignment for the Lakers since he had become the team's broadcaster in March of 1961. He would not miss another until the end of 2001.
Of note is that most of Hearn's games in the Television era were Simulcast on both radio and television, even after most teams chose to use different announcers for the different media.
Hearn grew up in Aurora, Illinois near Chicago and attended high school at Marmion Academy and college at Bradley University . He earned the nickname "Chick" while an Amateur Athletic Union basketball player at Bradley, when teammates played a prank on him: giving him a shoebox to see his surprised reaction when he opened it and found not sneakers inside, but instead a dead chicken.
On May 9 , 1991 Hearn became the third broadcaster to be inducted into Basketball Hall Of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts . In 1995 he was voted to be the 20th member of the American Sportscaster Hall Of Fame by his fellow sportscasters.
Hearn's streak of 3,338 consecutive Lakers games came to an end midway through the 2001-02 season when he underwent cardiac bypass surgery. Hearn recovered from his illness and resumed broadcasting that season, receiving a standing ovation from the Staples Center crowd upon his return. His final game was Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals where the Lakers defeated the New Jersey Nets to win their third consecutive NBA championship. During the summer, Hearn suffered a fall at his Encino, California home, and struck his head causing serious injury.
Three days later, on August 5 , 2002 , Chick Hearn died of his injury. He was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California .
In honor of his contributions to the Los Angeles Lakers, both the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles renamed a portion of West 11th Street between Figueroa Street and Georgia Street to Chick Hearn Court. This street currently runs alongside Staples Center 's main entrance. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority further honored broadcaster by changing the name of the nearby Blue Line station to Pico-Chick Hearn .
- : A shot that draws nothing but air.
- : A strongly-blocked shot, often sent high into the stands.
- : Missed a very easy layup.
- : Fans who boo their own team when they play badly.
- (He did the) : He was called for traveling.
- (You could) : An easy call for an official, e.g. a blatant foul.
- (He got) : A reaching foul.
- (The) : The free-throw line.
- (He's got 'em) : Really good one-on-one defense.
- (They) : The team is getting beat badly.
- (They) : The team's shooting is really awful.
- (It'll) : A player that is fouled in the act of shooting. '''It go-o-o-oes!''' (if the shot is successful)
- (That shot) : A shot which misses the rim, but hits the backboard. Sometimes, would add '''but it drew a lot of flies'''
- : A 10 to 5 score
- : A player drives the basket while dribbling.
- : A shot where the ball rolls off the shooter's fingers.
- (He) (that one): A shot blocked with force and authority.
- : A score resembling one often seen in a Football game (e.g., 21 to 14).
- (He threw up a) : A shot with a very flat trajectory.
- (We're) : Chick's perch at the Fabulous Forum, from which he called his word's eye views of the game.
- : A player dribbling the ball does a little hop step.
- : Hearn and Keith Erickson (his one-time color commentator) often bet ice creams on the outcome of a shot or game.
- (He's got) : When a player hits a clutch free-throw.
- (It's) : The (often sloppily-played) remainder of the game (after it’s '''in the refrigerator''').
- : A player passes the ball, makes a quick cut, and receives a return pass.
- (In & out,) : A shot that appears to go in, but rattles off the rim and misses. Sometimes '''it went insofar you could read the Commissioner's name from below'''.
- : The player has no chance of success with this play.
- : Similar to a prayer, when the opponent shoots a shot that is a prayer, a streak, or some amazing shot. (Usually on the road)
- : A shot made while the player is in the air and off balance.
- (There are) : The entire crowd acts as though they are the officials by disagreeing with a call.
- : A player attempts an unnecessarily showy, flashy play which ends up in a turnover or is otherwise unsuccessful.
- : When the final moments of a game are pressure-packed.
- : Simply put, a basketball court's dimensions. ('''Attacking 47 feet''': The front court.)
- (no blood, no ambulance, no stitches): A non-call by an official when varying degrees of contact have occurred. More adjectives means the non-call was more questionable.)
- : Simply put, not a smart play.
- A very long time (e.g., '''the Lakers haven't had the lead since Hector was a pup.''')
- He's in the (with butter and salt all over him): Meaning that a defensive player got faked into the air (and out of play) by an offensive player's pump fake. ("Popcorn Machine" is a reference to an actual popcorn machine in the old Los Angeles Sports Arena , which was near the basket, but far away from the court. Thus, if the player went far out of play, he was in the "popcorn machine.")
- (He's) : Very tight defense, simply put.
- : Hearn's most famous phrase; a powerful shot where a player forces the ball through the rim with one or both hands.
- (He) : A move where an offensive player pump-fakes a defender and draws a foul from the leaping player.
- : A player dribbling the ball while not moving, as though tattooing the floor with the ball, as he waits for the play to develop.
- : The game's outcome is set; only the final score is in question.
- : When a player tosses up a particularly errant shot.
- : A wild shot that will need a miracle to score (and does).
- : A foul called when very little contact has been made.
- : A player gets 10 or more (i.e. double digits) in three statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals or blocked shots.
- (On his) : A player fell on his rear end.
- : What listeners received while listening to Hearn call the game on the radio.
- (He's) A player is Chewing Gum .
- (He's) : A player is standing there dribbling the ball up and down as if it were a yo-yo on a string.
- : A jump shot by Jamall Wilkes
- : a missed shot that was so easy, Hearn's wife Marge could have made it. Marge was often referred to when a player messed up something that was easy.
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