You could make the argument for a number of people being the face of the Lakers. Whether it be Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, or Dr. Jerry Buss, there are a number of options.
There is no question, however, who the voice of the Lakers will always be, and that is Chick Hearn. Hearn has his jersey retired, as well as a statue in front of Staples Center, so he will always be remembered.
The one thing that Hearn is most famous for was his streak of consecutive games called. On February 28, 1987 Hearn stretched that streak out to 2,000 straight games.
The 1987 season was a great one for the Lakers, as the team would win the championship over the Boston Celtics, giving them the leg up on their rivalry in the 1980s. Hearn was there for everything, providing the calls to all of their historic moments.
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Hearn’s streak started in November 21, 1965 and would last 36 years, ending on December 20, 2001. All together, Hearn called 3,368 consecutive games for the Lakers and was the only play-by-play man the Lakers had ever known until his unfortunate death in 2002.
Along the way, he coined numerous terms that are now a part of everyday basketball lingo. Phrases like finger roll, triple-double, and slam dunk were all created by the legendary Hearn. He was also known for putting the game ‘in the refrigerator’ when the Lakers had the victory sealed.
There are very few iron men in sports today, and those guys are looked at as being on a higher plane of toughness. We love Kobe Bryant for his ability to play through almost anything and that same desire rested in Chick Hearn.
This week, we celebrate Chick Hearn for pushing his streak of consecutive games called to 2,000.
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