Sports

Lakers mourn longtime arena announcer Lawrence Tanter, who dies at 76

Tanter’s voice accompanied Los Angeles home games for 43 years, spanning 10 championships and generations of Lakers fans.

Image credit: Troutfarm27 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; archival 2022 Lakers arena photo, not an image of Tanter

The Lakers announced Wednesday that longtime public-address announcer Lawrence Tanter had died. ABC7, carrying ESPN’s report, said Tanter retired from his courtside role in June after 43 years with the franchise. He had suffered a stroke late in the previous regular season and missed the final six home games and the playoffs. The team did not announce a cause of death in the report.

What it means locally

Tanter was the longest-serving public-address announcer in Lakers history. His tenure began during the Showtime era, continued through 10 NBA titles and 16 Western Conference championships, and included the team’s January 2020 tribute to Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers had moved Tanter into a game-presentation advisory role when he retired from announcing in June. The team has not named his permanent successor for the 2026–27 season. The accompanying photograph shows the Lakers’ home arena in 2022 and is not a portrait of Tanter or an image from the announcement.

Full report and further details: Read original report →