The Lakers’ longtime public address announcer Lawrence Tanter died Wednesday, the team announced. He was 76.
Remembered for his smooth, baritone voice, Tanter served as the voice of the Lakers for more than four decades. Tanter narrated chapters of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James and now Luka Doncic. After a stroke suffered in March forced him to retire from his game day role, he transitioned to an advisory role in June.
“For 43 years, LT’s voice served as the soundtrack to Lakers games at the arena,” the team said in a statement Wednesday. “He will be remembered as a cherished member of the Lakers family.”
Tanter started with the team in 1982 when the Lakers played in the Forum. His signature calls — “toooo many steps,” “Kobeee Bryant,” “Lllaker Girlsss” — were not boastful or over the top. For a franchise that came to embody old Hollywood glamour, Tanter’s voice became the ideal soundtrack.
“A true original that added his unique style to Showtime,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss wrote on X on Tuesday. “Rest in peace, LT.”
The 6-foot-7 Tanter towered over many, but greeted everyone with a kind smile and warm conversation. Just as the players he serenaded with his calls became institutions in the sport, so did he. Tanter was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcaster Hall of Fame.
“I hope the team wears an LT patch this season,” former Lakers center and current team broadcaster Mychal Thompson wrote on X on Tuesday.
While fans have shared a wide range of memories about Tanter, he arguably is best known for the game after Bryant died when he introduced every member of the Lakers’ starting lineup as Bryant in honor of Lakers legend.
“It’s been a great run,” Tanter told The Times’ Bill Plaschke in June. “I’ve been blessed.”
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