Hearn is remembered for his rapid fire, staccato broadcasting style, associated with colorful phrases such as slam dunk, air ball, and no harm, no foul that have become common basketball vernacular.

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.

Over the course of the streak, Hearn was paired with several different color commentators, including ”Hot” Rod Hundley, Pat Riley, Keith Erickson, Dick Schad, Lynn Shackelford and Stu Lantz.

Hearn's streak of 3,338 consecutive Lakers games came to an end on December 16, 2001, in order to undergo scheduled cardiac bypass surgery.

Hearn recovered from his surgery, but in February 2002, he suffered a broken hip after falling at a gas station,[3] which further delayed his expected return to the Lakers broadcast booth.

Hearn recovered from both issues and resumed broadcasting on April 9, 2002, receiving a standing ovation from the Staples Center crowd upon his return.

[5] Hearn became assistant general manager of the Lakers in 1972, hired by Jack Kent Cooke, the team's owner at the time.

Hearn advised management on personnel and trades, and helped negotiate player contracts as part of the role which he held for seven years.

[6][7] Hearn advised team owner Cooke to draft future hall of fame player Magic Johnson in 1979.

At the time, Hearn handled the sports desk of the local news program on Los Angeles' NBC affiliate, KRCA (now KNBC).

[13] The song was played on Los Angeles TV and radio stations, including the Lakers' televised games .

[1] On May 9, 1991, Hearn became the third broadcaster to win the Gowdy Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority further honored the broadcaster by changing the name of the nearby A and E line station to "Pico/Chick Hearn".

This style was especially well-suited for his notable simulcasts of Lakers games on television and radio, which were a tradition during his 40-plus year tenure.

[17] When a book of his memoirs was published in 2004, it included an audio CD with the calls as well as a Chick Hearn Rap-Around rap song created with the samples.