The Chicago Bulls defeat of the Utah Jazz in 1998 has gone down as one of the best NBA Finals of all time. The image of Michael Jordan dropping in the winning basket during Game 6 is engrained in the minds of millions of sports fans, including new Minnesota Timberwolves television play-by-play announcer Michael Grady.
“I remember being in awe of what Michael Jordan was doing to win the game for the Bulls,” Grady recalled, “but also the way that [Bob] Costas called it and… just how beautifully he put everything into context.”
To this day, Grady affirms that it was in ’98 at the age of 15 when he began thinking about pursuing a career in sports media. It has taken him on twists and turns that have helped him evolve through augmenting his versatility and connecting with athletes and other media members.
During his days at Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Ind., Grady joined student-run 91.1 WEDM and worked as a play-by-play announcer for the school’s football and basketball teams. From there, he attended Vincennes University, a place he utilized to refine his skills to be ready to work in the professional world; however, he was able to attain some of that experience early through a news partnership with a local PBS affiliate.
Upon his graduation, Grady started his career as a part-time board operator at WIBC, and while the job may not have seemed the most glamorous to some, it was imperative for him to get his foot in the door. Having a singular mindset about a potential career, according to Grady, is quite perilous when working in media, as it is essential to be able to step into opportunities and excel in them as they become available.
“If you’re stepping into broadcast media and your mindset is ‘I’m only going to be interested and enthusiastic about this one aspect of this career field,’ I don’t believe that you’re destined to make it,” Grady stated. “One thing that I encourage a lot of people when they’re coming up is to embrace everything. It wasn’t my goal to be a board op., but I knew that [it] was a stepping stone towards what was next for me.”
Being enthusiastic about taking on a job is something that is noticeable to colleagues and managers, especially when starting in the field. Throughout his time growing up, WIBC was a part of the soundtrack in that it would always be playing in his mother’s car when he was waiting with her for the school bus. Over the years working there, his role evolved into becoming a producer – first for a pet show before producing Indiana Sports Talk, a weekend sports talk show that starred Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Lovell.
“For me fresh out of school to get a board-opping job at WIBC; it was a huge deal for me,” Grady said. “What I took away from it was [that] it was a learning experience for me and I had such enthusiasm and pride in doing that job and trying to do a good job and then utilizing that as a springboard towards other opportunities.”
Grady did not need to move far for his next opportunity, staying on the 1070 AM frequency when it changed to an all-sports format in late 2007 after WIBC moved to 93.1 FM. In its place came ESPN 1070 The Fan, and Grady was quickly named an executive producer by program director Kent Sterling. The management team essentially had to build the station from the ground-up, hiring on-air hosts, some of whom had never hosted a radio show before, and training them to effectively perform the job. As he coached new talent and learned additional aspects of hosting from others though, Grady began to think that he could do it as well and began thinking how he could move from producing to hosting.
“I started putting the bug in the ear of my superiors, and it was in 2011 [after] a managerial change [when] they finally took it seriously,” Grady said. “In 2011, they brought me in as the co-host of the Grady and Big Joe Show, and those were some great years for me.”
Growing up and working in Indianapolis, Grady was a fan of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and closely followed and spoke about the teams. Having the ability to connect with a local audience differentiated the program from others, eventually making the show “appointment radio” for some listeners. Together, he and former Colts offensive lineman Joe Staysniak established a chemistry on-air and brought Indianapolis sports fans entertaining coverage and discussion on their favorite teams.
“When people hear me talk about the teams, they can sense the passion in my voice; I had great dialogue with the listeners,” Grady said. “You kind of create a culture right there on the airwaves. The show [was] only two hours, but still in that time, you were able to develop a strong bond with the listening audience.”
But that wasn’t all he was doing. Fueled by his innate competitive drive and work ethic he attributes to his mother Mavis, Michael Grady began working directly with the Indiana Pacers – briefly as an in-arena host and then as the team’s public address announcer prior to the 2010-11 season. Just over three years later, he landed a job working in television as a sports reporter for the ABC-affiliated WRTV-6 reporting on stories related to all sports in the area. Having the ability to create relationships with personnel in the NBA, along with continuing to grow more adept in different areas of television, were invaluable experiences that helped Grady progress into the next stage of his career. Yet it was also a lot to balance at once, especially on days where the Pacers were playing a home game.
As Grady recalls, on Pacers home game days he would host his sports talk radio show from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and then have a small break before heading to the television station. While there, he would prepare his sportscast, which he would then deliver from the floor of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Pacers’ home arena. Then, he would head behind the scorer’s table to P.A. announce the game, and no sooner than he announced the final score, would drive back to the television studio to deliver another sportscast.
“It wasn’t easy, but hearing people say ‘Man, I don’t think he can do that; that’s too much’ kind of fueled me from a competitive standpoint,” Grady said. “….I just wanted to prove to everybody that I can do it and I can do it well.”
Working in television, as compared to working in radio, was different in the sense that he was entering people’s homes through a different medium; however, it taught him the importance of adaptability. For a while, Grady thought he would work in radio for the rest of his career, but saw the value in trying new things and being open to change.
“You learn editing for sure in terms of content and scriptwriting, and I got a real education into television,” Grady said of his time at WRTV-6. “We didn’t have a ton of resources. There were times where I was my own cameraman; I was editing videos once done; I’m writing my one script; I’m loading things in a system.”
After several years covering sports on a news television station and being the voice of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Grady hired an agent who originally approached him about working together. While he felt a tie to Indianapolis, he knew that in order to expand his own potential, he would likely have to relocate to a new market. Grady was undoubtedly enjoying what he was doing, but he felt that there was the capability for more and a chance to continue to elevate.
“I feel like I was blessed with a gift and I felt like I owed it to myself and those who love me to see how far I [could] push this thing and see if I could inspire people in my family [and] people in my community,” Grady said.
After flying around the country to attend meetings, mock broadcasts and interviews, Grady did not feel attracted to any particular gig – until he made a visit to Brooklyn, N.Y. As a music fan, Brooklyn was representative of the epicenter of hip-hop as the birthplace of The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. Furthermore, having interests in both art and fashion had previously exposed Grady to the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, an artist known for his enigmatic and distinctive style.
Despite being from Indianapolis, Grady had always felt a connection to Brooklyn and the community there, and saw the potential in the Brooklyn Nets to grow into a prominent basketball franchise and brand after initially struggling following the move from Newark, N.J.
“Even though they were a 21-win team at the time, I felt like it wouldn’t take much time before that franchise really popped,” Grady said. “To me, it felt like a leap of faith.”
Working as the sideline reporter for the Brooklyn Nets on YES Network, Michael Grady entered the position planning just to be himself and tell stories that would help humanize and give context to the game on the court. Obviously, that requires building relationships with interviewees and by building a reputation based on trust and professionalism, Grady quickly became a well-respected figure among media members at Barclays Center.
“I think the biggest thing for someone in [that] position – and really in any position – is stepping in with no ego,” Grady said. “There’s a balance because you have to take pride in your ability… and all those things, but you can’t let ego get in the way of what you’re trying to accomplish, especially when it’s about establishing relationships.”
Throughout his five seasons on YES Network, Grady would prepare for each interview by researching and contextualizing scenarios beforehand so he could formulate relevant questions that would elicit thoughtful and comprehensive responses. Inspired by Costas’ knowledge and the vivacious personality of sports reporter Ahmad Rashad, Grady contributed to game coverage and saw his job become easier once the team began to win. The mood around the team was more positive and, in turn, people were more willing to share their stories, further enhancing the potential of his work and reputation as a reporter.
“Before new guys even walk into the locker room, people are telling them: ‘Michael’s a good guy. You can trust him, etc., etc.,’” Grady said. “Now, I’m already set up well when I sit down with a player for the first time who was just acquired. I still have to prove myself and make it evident that the things that they heard are true, but at least I’m stepping in [already] in a good spot with the guys feeling like: ‘Okay, I can trust this guy right out of the gate.’”
Throughout his time in Brooklyn, Grady established relationships with all-stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and previously with D’Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen earlier in their careers before they departed Brooklyn. Additionally, he worked alongside Ian Eagle and Sarah Kustok, the primary broadcast duo that has continuously helped elevate the network’s television ratings in the New York-Metropolitan area. Nets on YES telecasts are still second to New York Knicks basketball on MSG Networks in terms of regional performance, but the separation between the numbers has lessened and the Nets have seen high performance when it comes to national ratings.
Eagle commentates a majority of the Nets games, but his commitments with the NFL on CBS and Turner Sports’ national NBA coverage do not allow him to make all of the games. Still, working alongside Eagle has taught Grady aspects of play-by-play and demonstrated just what makes a versatile broadcaster able to balance local and national games across different leagues.
“He’s a masterful tactician when it comes to preparation and presentation,” Grady said of Eagle. “He always meets the moment and weaves in a sense of humor, which I feel is a breath of fresh air…. It takes a true master to be able to balance everything that he’s able to balance and to execute the way that he executes and do it in a way that fans watching at home find delightful, engaging, informative and entertaining.”
Eagle’s backup is sports media veteran Ryan Ruocco who, besides working on New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets coverage on YES Network, announces games on ESPN and DAZN and hosts the R2C2 podcast with former Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia. If Ruocco was unable to make a game, Grady would step in as the play-by-play announcer, something he had the chance to do periodically, including Kyrie Irving’s 60-point performance against the Orlando Magic this past season.
“I loved every minute of what I was doing,” Grady expressed. “I loved the sideline reporting aspect and getting to know these guys…. I loved every bit of it and life in New York.”
But that wasn’t all he was doing. Taking advantage of other opportunities that became available to him, Grady polished his play-by-play skills calling WNBA games for the New York Liberty on YES Network and college football and basketball games on CBS Sports. Additionally, he has worked with NBA TV and Turner Sports as a play-by-play announcer. Outside of play-by-play, he hosted studio coverage for Yankees and Nets games, sideline reported select NFL games on CBS and appeared across NBA programming on SiriusXM NBA Radio. With this vast array of experience, Grady began trying to land a full-time play-by-play job once his contract allowed him to explore the job market.
“Minnesota reached out and was very aggressive in showing their interest [and] I wanted to hear them out,” Grady said. “I didn’t step into this going: ‘I’m absolutely taking this no matter what if they want me.’ I stepped in because I’m serious about full-time play-by-play, and I wanted to hear their direction, hear what they envision this role being and just the overall vision for the franchise as a whole.”
Following conversations with the upper management and ownership group of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Grady was officially offered the job calling games on Bally Sports North and made the move to Minneapolis. It is an opportunity he never thought he would have when he was younger even though he claims he was a “pretty confident kid,” and is honored to have been chosen for the job.
“I’m excited about it because this whole situation and this team and their makeup reminds me of the teams that I grew up rooting for in Indiana where it felt like it’s us against the world,” Grady said. “….I’m excited about the opportunity [and] everything about the community and the franchise. I’ve just got to bundle up – but everything else is really just a slam dunk.”
Grady steps into the role after the organization chose to move on from its previous play-by-play announcer Dave Benz after 10 years, a move that was so unpopular with the fan base that a Change.org petition was started which has racked up nearly 7,500 signatures. Looking at the connection Benz was able to cultivate with the fanbase excites Grady for the opportunity to become familiar with the community and the team.
“I have a great deal of respect for Dave Benz,” Grady said. “I don’t know him personally, but I love the love affair he was able to have with this fanbase, and that really excites me as this opportunity opens up for me. My focus is really [on] getting to know the fanbase, fanning that flame of excitement and enthusiasm for this team and just having fun watching this game that we all love.”
With a young, contending roster in place that features Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and former Brooklyn Nets point guard D’Angelo Russell, Grady is reminded of his days in Brooklyn in terms of having talent but being written off. Now as the voice of its television broadcasts, Grady will seek to emulate the passion of the Timberwolves fanbase as the team continues to build and take on stellar competition around the league.
“My mindset, as it’s been over the course of my entire career, is to be me,” Grady said. “Be myself; have fun. There’s only 30 of these jobs and I have incredible gratitude being one of the 30 to be blessed with the opportunity to have a microphone and be a storyteller watching some of the best athletes in the world.”
Grady recently lost his mother after she battled cancer for the last five years and refers to her as his biggest supporter throughout his many career endeavors. Now as he enters a new chapter in his broadcasting career, Michael Grady hopes to continue to make her proud. Moreover, he hopes to serve as a source of inspiration for the next generation of sports media professionals – especially those without anyone or anywhere to turn to get started akin to him after devoting himself to the industry after the 1998 NBA Finals.
“In some ways I look at the things I’ve been able to accomplish and I just shake my head,” Grady remarked. “I’m just incredibly thankful for how blessed I’ve been and the people who have been in my life who have given me opportunities to continue to grow as a broadcaster and a man. I’m going to devote myself to helping others and inspiring them to accomplish their dreams as well.”
