NBC resurrects legendary NBA voice Jim Fagan using AI

Date:
Fri, 09 May 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Description:
NBC is bringing back the voice of announcer Jim Fagan using AI.

FULL STORY ======================================================================NBC Sports will use an AI-generated version of legendary announcer Jim Fagans voice in its upcoming NBA coverage The re-creation will appear in intros and promos with the approval of Fagan's family NBC hopes to evoke nostalgia for 1990s basketball with the AI voice

The booming, baritone narration by Jim Fagan is as much a part of 1990s NBA games as Bugs Bunny selling shoes with Michael Jordan or the Roundball Rock theme song. Though Fagan passed away in 2017, NBC has his voice ready to go for the upcoming season thanks to AI voice cloning. NBC Sports announced the plan for when it regains broadcasting rights this October.

Fagans voice wont be narrating entire games, the current commentators don't have to worry about direct AI competition just yet. The plan is to use him selectively: show opens, promotional spots, maybe the dramatic lead-in to a playoff broadcast.

The network is reportedly shelling out billions as part of a massive rights package shared with Amazon and Disney. What better way to brand its return than with the voice that defined the leagues TV glory years? NBC just hopes Fagan's phantom voice will remind people of the NBA's golden age three
decades ago.

NBC approached the project carefully to avoid a backlash from Fagan's fans. The company built Fagan's vocal doppelganger with the permission and cooperation of Fagans family.

"He took great pride in his work with NBC Sports, especially in helping set the stage for some of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Knowing that his voice will once again be part of the game he loved and that a new generation of fans will get to experience it is incredibly special for our family," Fagans daughters, Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia-Koonin, said in
a statement. "He would be so thrilled and proud to be a part of this." Slam dunk AI

If this sounds like the echo of a similar idea, that's because NBCUniversal has dipped into its AI audio toolbox very recently. At the Paris Olympics
last year, NBC recreated Al Michaels voice to deliver Olympic recaps on Peacock.

Theres a trend in sports broadcasting to remix the past using futuristic tools. Whether its classic theme songs, throwback logos, or AI-generated recaps, the goal is novelty nostalgia, a feeling more than a strictly perfect recreation. And if it works, get ready for AI to resurrect Marv Albert next. You might also like Google and NBC are using AI to try and stick the landing at the Paris Olympics The AI That Cried AAAAAAHHH! I tried the most realistic AI voice companion ever created - if ChatGPT or Gemini ever gets this good, reality is in trouble



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/nbc-resurrects-leg endary-nba-voice-jim-fagan-using-ai


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