Chris Carrino Reflects on His Hall of Fame Nets Career

Chris Carrino has spent 25 years as the voice of the Brooklyn Nets, and this summer, he reached one of the biggest milestones of his broadcasting career.

Carrino was named a recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, one of the highest honors a basketball broadcaster can receive.

Speaking with Erik Slater on the latest episode of Locked On Nets, Carrino reflected on receiving the honor, his path into broadcasting, his longtime partnership with Tim Capstraw, and what has made the Nets' broadcast teams so special over the years.

For Carrino, the Hall of Fame weekend was about more than receiving an award. Having his family and friends there to experience it with him made the moment even more meaningful.

“It was amazing,” Carrino said. “Not just for me, but what I took away from it the most was to have my family there, my friends there, and to experience it with me.”

Carrino also recalled being surrounded by some of basketball's biggest names during the weekend, including Roy Williams, Jay Wright, John Calipari, Jerry Colangelo, Adam Silver, Kevin Garnett and Patrick Ewing.

It was a long way from where his broadcasting career started.

When Carrino was 10 years old, his father gave him a tape recorder. He would sit in his parents' bedroom, turn the television down, and pretend to call games.

His interest in broadcasting continued through school, where he participated in public speaking and speech and debate. That eventually led him to Fordham University, where he had the opportunity to learn from legendary broadcaster Marty Glickman.

Carrino said he knew almost immediately that broadcasting was what he wanted to pursue after hearing Glickman speak.

“I knew two things at that moment,” Carrino said. “Number one, this is what I want to do. And number two, I have to forget everything I think I know about it and learn from this man.”

That education eventually helped lead Carrino to the Nets, where he found another important part of his career in Capstraw.

The two have now worked together for 25 years, developing the chemistry that has become a defining part of Nets radio broadcasts.

Carrino explained that Capstraw came recommended by Jack Armstrong and Mike Breen after the Nets needed a new radio analyst. Carrino met with Capstraw, immediately felt comfortable around him, and the two have been together ever since.

Their relationship became even more important when Carrino's muscular dystrophy was progressing, and he began questioning whether he would be able to continue his career.

During a snowy night in Toronto, Carrino told Capstraw that he would likely need to start using a mobility device and wasn't sure what that would mean for his job.

Capstraw's response stuck with him.

He told Carrino he wasn't going to quit and that they would figure out a way to make things work. He had already been talking with people within the Nets about how they could help Carrino travel and get around more easily.

For Carrino, that changed the way he viewed his situation. Instead of worrying about becoming a burden, he began focusing on the people around him who were willing to help him continue doing the work he loved.

That friendship also plays a major role in their on-air chemistry.

Carrino praised Capstraw's knowledge of the game, work ethic, and ability to communicate while understanding when to give his partner room.

“It's our friendship,” Carrino said when explaining what makes their partnership work.

Carrino also discussed the larger Nets broadcasting family and why he believes it has been so successful.

Over the years, the Nets have featured a long list of respected broadcasters, including Ian Eagle, Ryan Ruocco and Sarah Kustok. Carrino believes part of that success comes from the culture within the organization.

He described the Nets' broadcasting group as a “small family operation,” with broadcasters spending time together, talking basketball, sharing ideas and helping each other improve.

Carrino also pointed to the continuity within the group. He never viewed the Nets as a stepping-stone job and wanted to become the team's longtime voice.

“I never looked at the Nets as a stepping-stone job,” Carrino said.

That continuity has helped create a familiar experience for Nets fans, whether they're listening to the radio or watching the team's television broadcasts.

Carrino got to add another memorable chapter to that history last season when he worked several games alongside his son, Chris.

With Capstraw handling a significant number of television games, Carrino wanted to try something different. His son, who grew up around the Nets and has broadcasting experience of his own from Fordham, joined him as his “sidekick.”

Rather than treating it like a traditional broadcast partnership, the two simply acted like themselves. His son called him “Dad” on the air, just as he would at home.

The younger Carrino also brought a different perspective, pointing out things like players' sneakers and details about soccer that his father might not have noticed.

The experiment received positive feedback, and Carrino said he expects them to continue working together.

For Carrino, it all comes back to what he wants the Nets broadcasts to provide.

“We try to entertain you. We try to educate and entertain,” he said.

After 25 years with the Nets and now a Curt Gowdy Media Award recipient, Carrino's career has come a long way from a 10-year-old kid sitting in his parents' bedroom with a tape recorder.

The reason he got into broadcasting in the first place, however, hasn't changed. He loves sports, loves calling games, and still enjoys sharing that experience with Nets fans.