Matt Devlin (sportscaster)

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Matt Devlin
Devlin at Game 2 of the 2019 NBA Finals
Born (1969-04-02) April 2, 1969 (age 55)
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
CitizenshipUnited States (1969–present)
Canada (2019–present)
Alma materBoston College
OccupationSportscaster
Children3
Sports commentary career
TeamToronto Raptors
GenrePlay-by-play announcer
SportBasketball

Matt Devlin (born April 2, 1969 in Syracuse, New York), nicknamed Matty D, is a play-by-play TV announcer currently employed mainly by the Toronto Raptors of the NBA, having replaced Chuck Swirsky in 2008. His current on-air color commentator partners are Leo Rautins and Jack Armstrong.

Broadcasting career

Devlin started with NBA TV during its first season in 1999.[1] He then spent three years (2001-2004) as the lead play-by-play voice of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, and three years for the Charlotte Bobcats. He has also done play-by-play for the NBA on TNT, MLB on TBS, NFL on Fox, Major League Baseball on Fox, and football and men's college basketball for Big Ten Network. For many years, he has provided commentary during the NBA Playoffs in the early rounds of the Western Conference. He has also hosted pre-game and post-game shows for the New York Yankee games on the MSG Network in the late 1990s during their World Series championship years.

Devlin served as the play-by-play man for NBC Sports' coverage of Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[2]

In 2008, Devlin joined the Toronto Raptors as the team's play-by-play television announcer.[3]

Although employed by the Raptors organization, during the offseason he has occasionally served as a fill-in play-by-play announcer for both of the Raptors' broadcast partners, TSN and Sportsnet. This has included play-by-play for the CFL on TSN and for Sportsnet's coverage of the Rogers Cup (both in 2012),[4] and for Sportsnet's Toronto Blue Jays coverage in 2013, 2016 and 2017. In addition, in the fall of 2011, during the NBA lockout, Devlin hosted the pre-game and post-game shows for Toronto Maple Leafs games on Leafs TV. (The Raptors and the Leafs are both owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which in turn is primarily owned by the parent companies of TSN and Sportsnet.)

Devlin is known for his catchphrase of describing 3-point shots as coming not from "downtown" but from the suburbs of Toronto, e.g. "He hits it from Mississauga!", "Drains it from Pickering!", "Banks it in from Burlington!" When Raptors fever swept across Canada during the team's run to the 2019 NBA championship, the shots started coming from the entire country: "From Edmonton!", "From Halifax!", "From Iqaluit!"[5]

Personal life

Devlin graduated Boston College with a communication major in 1990.[6] He has three sons, Jack, Ian and Luke, with his wife Erin.[7]

In 2019, Devlin became a Canadian citizen during the Raptors' NBA Finals run.[8]

References

  1. ^ Feldman, Jacob. "During Toronto's Run, Raptors' Voice Matt Devlin Has Represented an Entire Country". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  2. ^ Medium Well: Your NBC Olympics lineup - A blog on sports media, news and networks - baltimoresun.com Archived 2008-08-03 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ https://www.tsn.ca/talent/matt-devlin-1.57200
  4. ^ "Rogers Media Hits the Court for Multiplatform Coverage of the 2012 Rogers Cup, Free Preview of FX Canada during the event". ChannelCanada.com. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  5. ^ Feldman, Jacob. "The voice of the Raptors and his signature call". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  6. ^ https://bleacherreport.com/articles/313830-toronto-raptors-matt-devlin-never-give-up-on-a-dream
  7. ^ https://www.nba.com/raptors/news/devlin_release_070908.html
  8. ^ Feldman, Jacob. "The voice of the Raptors and his signature call". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2019-12-12.

External links

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