Mike Breen nearly quit broadcasting before becoming voice of NBA Finals

Mike Breen is preparing to call his 21st consecutive NBA Finals. But according to the longtime ESPN and Knicks broadcaster, it almost never happened.

In a profile by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Breen revealed there was a point early in his career when he seriously considered walking away from broadcasting altogether.

“I was thinking, ‘I can’t do this anymore,'” Breen told The Athletic. “I’m not making any money.”

The future Hall of Fame broadcaster said he was struggling financially while trying to establish himself in the industry and even considered following in his father’s footsteps.

“I told my dad, the steam fitter, I was thinking of quitting,” Breen said. “I said, ‘Why don’t you give me the application for the steam fitter union?'”

Fortunately for basketball fans, Breen’s father wasn’t having it.

According to Breen, his father reminded him that he had promised to give broadcasting five years before making a decision. At the time, Breen still had more than two years remaining on that commitment.

Six months later, everything changed.

Breen landed a job at WNBC Radio and gradually began building what would become one of the most respected careers in sports broadcasting.

He eventually joined Knicks broadcasts in 1992 before becoming the team’s television play-by-play voice. Along the way, he also rose to the top of ESPN’s NBA coverage and became synonymous with some of the biggest moments in league history.

Now 65, Breen remains the lead voice for both Knicks broadcasts and ESPN’s NBA coverage.

His two worlds will collide again this week when New York faces the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

It’s a stage Breen has occupied for more than two decades. And one he very nearly never reached.