Luke Walton as Laker Broadcaster
December 9, 2009
Injured forward Luke Walton is trading his Los Angeles Lakers jersey for a seat behind the microphone, but it is just a temporary move. He must be looking for something to do since he has been out with a back injury after playing in the season’s first nine games. His father Bill was a longtime broadcaster and studio analyst with the Los Angeles Clippers, NBC and ESPN after struggling through injuries for most of his playing career.
Walton will fill in for radio color commentator Mychal Thompson when the Lakers play Friday against Minnesota and Saturday at Utah. Thompson will miss those games because of a death in his family, the team said Tuesday.
Television color commentator Stu Lantz will miss six Lakers’ games from Dec. 11-20 while his wife recovers from surgery. “Hot” Rod Hundley, a former Lakers color commentator alongside Chick Hearn and a former player on the team, will replace Lantz.
Hundley retired from full-time broadcasting after the Utah Jazz lost to the Lakers in the first round of last spring’s playoffs. He had been the play-by-play voice of the Jazz on radio and TV for 31 seasons.
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