CHICAGO, IL – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today, at NBA All-Star Weekend, decorated sportswriter and commentatorMichael Wilbon and iconic NBA play-by-play commentator Mike Breen are the 2020 Curt Gowdy Media Award recipients.
The Curt Gowdy Media Award is named in honor of the late Curt Gowdy, a legendary sports broadcaster and former Hall of Fame Board member and President. This prestigious award is presented annually to members of the print and electronic media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.
Since 1980, Michael Wilbon has covered both college and professional sports through a variety of platforms. After two summer internships, Wilbon joined the Washington Post as a sports reporter, and was a columnist from 1990-2010. During that time, he co-edited two books with Charles Barkley, “I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It” and “Who’s Afraid of a Large Black Man”, both of which made the New York Times best seller list.
As a columnist for the Washington Post, Wilbon has covered every NBA Finals since 1987 and virtually every Final Four since 1982. He has also co-hosted the popular weekday sports news and commentary show Pardon The Interruption with Tony Kornheiser since 2001. PTI has earned Sports Emmy awards in 2009, 2016, and 2017 in the Daily Studio category. Other awards Wilbon has earned include the Top Sports Columnist by the Society of Professional Journalists in 2001, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists in 2009.
In 2010, Wilbon joined ESPN serving as an NBA news host and contributor. He has frequently appeared on SportsCenter and weekly on ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago, in addition to his contribution to ESPN’s The Undefeated. In 2011, Wilbon was inducted into the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame for his coverage and commentary on sports, he was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Northwestern University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. In 2017, he was also a recipient, along with his co-host of PTI, of the Fourth Estate Award as a journalist who has made significant contributions to the field from the National Press Club.
Mike Breen has broadcast games for the NBA for 28 seasons, beginning with the New York Knicks on WFAN in 1992. Known as the signature voice of the NBA, Breen is the lead announcer for the Knicks on the MSG Network with Hall of Famer Walt Frazier. He is also the lead play-caller on ESPN and ABC and covers the NBA Finals and NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC. In 2003, he joined ESPN’s NBA team and has covered 12 seasons of play.
Shortly after graduating from Fordham University, Breen got his start on the radio as a newscaster and sportscaster for WEOK/WDPH Radio in Poughkeepsie, NY. He soon moved onto television, where he worked at the Colony Sports Network covering Marist College basketball games, while simultaneously working as a radio analyst for Seton Hall basketball. In 1998, Breen was named “Broadcaster of the Year” by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in New York.
Breen has worked in a variety of roles and has covered the WNBA as well as men’s and women’s basketball at the 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics. Breen is a two-time New York Emmy Award winner for “On-Camera Talent: Sports Play-by-Play” in 2009 and 2014.
Michael Wilbon and Mike Breen will be acknowledged for their contributions to basketball media during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend August 28-30, 2020. For more further details, including ticket information, visit www.hoophall.com/Enshrinement.
Previous Curt Gowdy Media Award Winners:
Year - Print/Electronic
1990 - Dick Herbert/Curt Gowdy
1991 - Dave Dorr/Marty Glickman
1992 - Sam Goldaper/Chick Hearn
1993 - Leonard Lewin/Johnny Most
1994 - Leonard Koppett/Cawood Ledford
1995 - Bob Hammel/Dick Enberg
1996 - Bob Hentzen/Billy Packer
1997 - Bob Ryan/Marv Albert
1998 - Larry Donald & Dick Weiss/Dick Vitale
1999 - Smith Barrier/Bob Costas
2000 - Dave Kindred/Hubie Brown
2001 - Curry Kirkpatrick/Dick Stockton
2002 - Jim O’Connell/Jim Nantz
2003 - Sid Hartman/Hot Rod Hundley
2004 - Phil Jasner/Max Falkenstien
2005 - Jack McCallum/Bill Campbell
2006 - Mark Heisler/Bill Raftery
2007 - Malcolm Moran/Al McCoy
2008 - David DuPree/Bob Wolff
2009 - Peter Vecsey/Doug Collins
2010 - Jackie MacMullan/Joe Tait
2011 - Alexander Wolff/Jim Durham
2012 - Sam Smith/Bill Schonely
2013 - John Feinstein/Eddie Doucette
2014 - Joe Gilmartin/John Andariese
2015 - Rich Clarkson/Woody Durham
2016 - David Aldridge/Jay Bilas
2017 - Harvey Araton/Craig Sager
2018 - Andy Bernstein/Doris Burke
2019 - Marc Stein/Ralph Lawler
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #GowdyAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.