NBC’s upcoming NBA coverage will include the AI-generated voice of Jim Fagan, a longtime sports narrator who died in 2017. In an announcement on Tuesday, NBC said the AI-generated voice of Fagan will appear across select title sequences, show opens, and promos when the network resumes airing NBA games in October.
Fagan’s voice appeared in NBC’s NBA coverage from 1990 to 2002, where he became known for his “NBA on NBC” promos. He also narrated promos and openers for the league’s biggest stars, like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
With permission from Fagan’s family, NBC will now use AI to re-create his voice. NBC has already revealed its first promo using Fagan’s AI-generated voice, which you can hear in the video embedded below.
“His voice perfectly captured the magnitude of the heavyweight matchups and stars that he was introducing,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said in the press release. “It’s been a joy to work with Jim’s family to recreate his voice and honor his legacy.” NBC says Fagan’s AI-generated voice will “supplement traditional voiceover work by other artists.”
Disclosure: Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, is also an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.
