Kevin Robert Harlan (born June 21, 1960) is an American television and radio sports announcer.
The son of former Green Bay Packers President and CEO Bob Harlan,[3] he broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS and the NBA on TNT.
Harlan has also broadcast more than 500 NFL games on network TV, top 10 all time joining names like Al Michaels and Pat Summerall for play-by-play.
Until 2008, Harlan was the voice of Westwood One Radio's Final Four coverage of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Hedrick gave Harlan a sideline position his freshman year, eventually deeming him as his understudy and fill-in announcer on days when he had other commitments.
Harlan also split time with the University of Missouri (1986–89) calling football and basketball games, and worked as the play-by-play voice of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves for nine seasons (1989–98).
On the network level, Harlan called NFL football for NBC in 1991, college football for ESPN in 1992–93, NFL for Fox from 1994 to 97–, and joined Turner Sports in 1996 to broadcast NBA playoff games (he would begin calling games throughout the entire season in 1997, which he continues to do to this day).
Harlan broadcast his first NBA All Star game for TNT in 2022, as well as the Western and Eastern Conference Finals.
In September 2019 Harlan was inducted into the Notre Dame Academy High School Hall of Fame (the former Premontre HS he attended in Green Bay, Wisconsin).
These include: March 13, 1999 - Working his first NCAA Tournament for CBS, Harlan was assigned first and second round games in the West Region, played in Seattle.
After upsetting Stanford, a 2-seed, in the second round, he exclaimed: "For little Gonzaga University, dreams do come true!
"May 12, 2008 – Harlan was the play-by-play announcer for TNT's coverage of the NBA second-round playoff game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics.
"[6] September 12, 2016 – Harlan was the radio play-by-play man for Westwood One's coverage of the Monday Night Football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, where a fan ran onto the field.
"February 4, 2018 - Harlan called Super Bowl LII on the radio for Westwood One when, with just moments left in the second quarter, the Philadelphia Eagles ran a trick play, now known as the Philly Special.
"[8]May 12, 2019 - Harlan was the play-by-play announcer for TNT's coverage of Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors.
[9]November 4, 2019 – Harlan was the radio play-by-play for Westwood One's coverage of a Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants where a black cat ran onto the field midway in the second quarter.
With Baltimore up 28–10 against Cincinnati, Ravens quarterback and MVP favorite Lamar Jackson used a spin move to elude several Bengals defenders for a 47-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, putting the game out of reach.
"[13][14] February 7, 2021 – During Super Bowl LV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Harlan was the radio play-by-play announcer when, in the closing minutes of the game, a streaker ran onto the field.
The streaker was a man dressed in an undersized women's pink one-piece thong-style swimsuit and a pair of dark athletic shorts.
He's being chased to the 30, he breaks a tackle from a security guard, the 20, down the middle the ten, the five, he slides at the one... and they converge on him at the goal line!
And the players with hands on hips at the other end of the field are looking at him and shaking their head, and saying, 'Why, oh, why is this taking place in a Super Bowl?
'"[15]March 16, 2023 - During the 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Harlan was on the call, along with Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy when #13 Furman scored a go-ahead 3-pointer over #4 Virginia in the Round of 64 with 2.2 seconds to go due to a rogue pass from Virginia's Kihei Clark to Furman's Garrett Hien.
WOW!May 12, 2024 - During Game 4 of the second round playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves Harlan made a call just as the halftime buzzer was sounding.
The play resulted from a quick inbound attempt by a Minnesota player from underneath his basket with 1.6 seconds remaining on the clock.
Jamal Murray of the Nuggets stepped in front of the pass for the steal and attempted a buzzer beater from about 10 feet beyond the half court line, right near the sideline where Harlan and his analyst Reggie Miller were seated.
"As Harlan repeatedly yelled "Got it" he stood up from his seat and leaned toward the court where Jamal Murray had turned to hear the call with a look of fierce determination.
They stared at each other from just across the announcer's table as Harlan finished the call until Murray's teammates took him away to celebrate the play.
The video of the shot, staredown, and call quickly became a major sensation on television and social media.
She is married to former NBA player Sam Dekker, who plays pro basketball in London and in the EuroLeague.