Steve Buckhantz
Encyclopedia
Steve Buckhantz is a television play-by-play announcer for the Washington Wizards
.
, a Fox
affiliate in Washington, D.C.
A District native, Buckhantz grew up in Arlington, Virginia, where his father owned a construction company. He attended James Madison University
in Harrisonburg, Virginia
. One of his earlier jobs in sports was with WSB-TV
in Atlanta, Georgia
, where he covered the Braves and the Hawks and eventually became the night-time sports anchor.
He currently resides in Virginia. He married Shelley Lawrence on May 8, 2011. Shelley has two children from a previous marriage. As of 2010, Buckhantz has spent 14 years as the Wizards' play by play announcer, alongside Phil Chenier
on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic
.
Buckhantz's catchphrases have seeped into the lexicon of Washington, D.C. area sports fans, who revel in using them to describe a myriad of non-sports related events (ex. males observing a friend attempting to ask a woman for her phone number exclaim "Dagger!" or "Backbreaker!" when she can be seen rejecting the friend's advances) as well as debating the subtle and compelling distinction between a "Backbreaker" (a made basket at a critical juncture in a game that breaks any chance that the opposing team will win) and a "Dagger" (a made basket at a critical juncture in a game that stabs like a dagger at the opposing team's chance of victory).
film "Without Bias" about the days leading up to the Len Bias
death in the summer of 1986 after being chosen number 2 overall by the Boston Celtics
after a stellar career at the University of Maryland
. He was featured as a reporter for WTTG-TV as the sports director at the time of Bias' death in 1986.
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
.
Biography
His television announcing career began as Sports Director at WTTGWTTG
WTTG, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
, a Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
A District native, Buckhantz grew up in Arlington, Virginia, where his father owned a construction company. He attended James Madison University
James Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
. One of his earlier jobs in sports was with WSB-TV
WSB-TV
WSB-TV, virtual channel 2.1 , is the ABC affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship television station of Cox Enterprises and its Cox Media Group subsidiary...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, where he covered the Braves and the Hawks and eventually became the night-time sports anchor.
He currently resides in Virginia. He married Shelley Lawrence on May 8, 2011. Shelley has two children from a previous marriage. As of 2010, Buckhantz has spent 14 years as the Wizards' play by play announcer, alongside Phil Chenier
Phil Chenier
Philip Chenier is a former professional basketball player. He is presentlya television sports broadcaster for the NBA's Washington Wizards.-NBA playing career:...
on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic
Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic
Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic is a regional sports network that delivers live-game coverage and sports news and entertainment television programming to more than 4.7 million households throughout the Washington, D.C...
.
Style
He has garnered a reputation for his emphatic expressions, such as "Dagger","Blocked by Haywood!", "Backbreaker", "How good is he, Phil?", "How do you like that?" (the answer for Wizards fans whenever that question is posed -- "Not very much"), "Tooough shot!", "It's good if it goes!....And it Nearly did!", "Score the field goal, and he'll go to the line!", "For the win!", "The refs have swallowed/put away their whistles!", "That's gotta be five seconds!", "That's hard to believe","And Eddie Jordan is Livid!/Incensed", "Oh My!""Follows it up Twice!!", and "NOOO, it's not possible!!".Buckhantz's catchphrases have seeped into the lexicon of Washington, D.C. area sports fans, who revel in using them to describe a myriad of non-sports related events (ex. males observing a friend attempting to ask a woman for her phone number exclaim "Dagger!" or "Backbreaker!" when she can be seen rejecting the friend's advances) as well as debating the subtle and compelling distinction between a "Backbreaker" (a made basket at a critical juncture in a game that breaks any chance that the opposing team will win) and a "Dagger" (a made basket at a critical juncture in a game that stabs like a dagger at the opposing team's chance of victory).
30 for 30
In 2009, Buckhantz was featured in the ESPN 30 for 3030 for 30
30 for 30 is the umbrella title for a series of documentaries airing on ESPN and its sister networks. The series, which premiered in October 2009 and concluded in December 2010, chronicles 30 stories from the "ESPN era," each of which detail the issues, trends, people, teams, or events that...
film "Without Bias" about the days leading up to the Len Bias
Len Bias
Leonard Kevin "Len" Bias was a first team All-American college basketball player at the University of Maryland. He was selected by the Boston Celtics as the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft on June 17, but died two days later from cardiac arrhythmia induced by a cocaine overdose...
death in the summer of 1986 after being chosen number 2 overall by the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
after a stellar career at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
. He was featured as a reporter for WTTG-TV as the sports director at the time of Bias' death in 1986.
External links
- Wizards Broadcasters:Steve Buckhantz www.nba.com
- Steve Buckhantz:Commentaries on NBC Washington www.nbcwashington.com