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{{Short description|American sportscaster}}
Steve Buckhantz is the Television Play-By-Play Announcer for the [[Washington Wizards]]. His lengthy announcing career began as Sports Director at WTTG, a Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C. A District native, Buckhantz grew up in Arlington, VA.
{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2010}}


{{Infobox person
He is currently in his 9th year as the Wizards sportscaster, and has garnered a reputation for his emphatic expressions, such as "Dagger", "Backbreaker", "How good is he?", and "How do you like that?".
| name = Steve Buckhantz
|image = Wizards Announcer Steve Buckhantz January 2013 (cropped).jpg
| birth_name = Steven Buckhantz
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|6|19}}
| birth_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = [[Sportscaster]]
| children = 2 stepchildren
}}
'''Steve Buckhantz''' (born June 19, 1955) is an American television [[play-by-play]] announcer, most recently for the [[NBA]] team [[Washington Wizards]].


== Biography ==
He works alongside analyst [[Phil Chenier]], a former member of the Washington Bullets. He is a native of the Washington area, and currently resides in [[Vienna, Virginia]].
Buckhantz began his television announcing career in 1977 at ABC Affiliate WHSV in Harrisonburg, VA anchoring the 11 o'clock sports and weather. From there he moved to NBC Affiliate WRCB in Chattanooga, TN where he was the weekday 6 and 11pm sports anchor. He then moved to CBS station WTVF-TV in Nashville, TN where he anchored the weekend sports before heading to ABC Affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta, GA where he again anchored the weekend sports. In 1984 Buckhantz moved to WTTG-TV in Washington, DC which eventually became one of the original Fox owned television stations. He anchored the weekday sports for nearly 14 years. Buckhantz was part of the original play-by-play announcers for the NFL on Fox in 1994 and also broadcast Big East Basketball as well as calling play-by-play for the U.S. Naval Academy Football Team from 1991-'97. In 1997 he became the television play-by-play voice for the NBA's Washington Wizards.


A District native, he grew up in [[Arlington, Virginia]],where his father owned a construction company. He attended [[James Madison University]] in [[Harrisonburg, Virginia]].
[[Category:National Basketball Association broadcasters|Buckhantz, Steve]]
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[[Category:People from Virginia|Buckhantz, Steve]]
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[[Category:Sports announcers|Buckhantz, Steve]]
[[Category:The NFL on FOX|Buckhantz, Steve]]
[[Category:Washington Wizards|Buckhantz, Steve]]


Buckhantz currently resides in Northern Virginia. He married Shelley Lawrence on May 8, 2011. Shelley has two children from a previous marriage, Jake and Olivia Lawrence. Buckhantz spent 22 years as the Wizards' play-by-play announcer, alongside [[Phil Chenier]] and later, [[Kara Lawson]], on [[NBC Sports Washington]] (formerly HTS from 1984 to 2001 and Comcast SportsNet from 2001 to 2017) until his departure after the [[2018-19 NBA season]].<ref name="nba">{{cite web|title=Wizards News: Wizards Broadcasters|publisher=Washington Wizards|url=http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/broadcasters.html|accessdate=August 21, 2010}}</ref>


== Style ==
{{hoops-stub}}
Buckhantz has garnered a reputation for his emphatic expressions, such as "''Dagger''", "''Blocked by [player]!''", "''Backbreaker''", "''How good is he, Phil?''", "''How do you like that?''", "''Tough shot!''", "''It's good if it goes!....And it nearly did!''", "''Score the field goal, 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 [player/coach] is Livid!/Incensed''", "''Oh My!''", "''Follows it up twice!''", "Foul, no call", and "''NO, it's not possible!''"

His 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{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} "''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).<ref>{{cite news|last=Steinberg|first=Dan|title=Signature Calls: Buckhantz Talks "Dagger!"|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 6, 2009|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/07/signature_calls_buckhantz_talk.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908061056/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/07/signature_calls_buckhantz_talk.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 8, 2012|accessdate=August 21, 2010}}</ref>

== 30 for 30 ==
In 2009, Buckhantz was featured in the ESPN [[30 for 30]] 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]] as the sports director at the time of Bias' death in 1986.
In 2015 Buckhantz was featured in the NFL Network (Dexter Manley A Football Life) about the career of former Redskins great Dexter Manley. He was featured as a reporter for WTTG TV as the Sports Director during Manley's NFL career.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/broadcasters.html Wizards Broadcasters:Steve Buckhantz] www.nba.com
*[http://www.nbcwashington.com/topics/?topic=Steve+Buckhantz Steve Buckhantz:Commentaries on NBC Washington]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} www.nbcwashington.com

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckhantz, Steve}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American television sports announcers]]
[[Category:James Madison University alumni]]
[[Category:Mid-Atlantic Sports Network]]
[[Category:National Football League announcers]]
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[[Category:People from Arlington County, Virginia]]
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[[Category:Washington Wizards announcers]]
[[Category:Jewish American sports announcers]]

Latest revision as of 15:50, 13 September 2024

Steve Buckhantz
Born
Steven Buckhantz

(1955-06-19) June 19, 1955 (age 69)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
OccupationSportscaster
Children2 stepchildren

Steve Buckhantz (born June 19, 1955) is an American television play-by-play announcer, most recently for the NBA team Washington Wizards.

Biography

[edit]

Buckhantz began his television announcing career in 1977 at ABC Affiliate WHSV in Harrisonburg, VA anchoring the 11 o'clock sports and weather. From there he moved to NBC Affiliate WRCB in Chattanooga, TN where he was the weekday 6 and 11pm sports anchor. He then moved to CBS station WTVF-TV in Nashville, TN where he anchored the weekend sports before heading to ABC Affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta, GA where he again anchored the weekend sports. In 1984 Buckhantz moved to WTTG-TV in Washington, DC which eventually became one of the original Fox owned television stations. He anchored the weekday sports for nearly 14 years. Buckhantz was part of the original play-by-play announcers for the NFL on Fox in 1994 and also broadcast Big East Basketball as well as calling play-by-play for the U.S. Naval Academy Football Team from 1991-'97. In 1997 he became the television play-by-play voice for the NBA's Washington Wizards.

A District native, he grew up in Arlington, Virginia,where his father owned a construction company. He attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Buckhantz currently resides in Northern Virginia. He married Shelley Lawrence on May 8, 2011. Shelley has two children from a previous marriage, Jake and Olivia Lawrence. Buckhantz spent 22 years as the Wizards' play-by-play announcer, alongside Phil Chenier and later, Kara Lawson, on NBC Sports Washington (formerly HTS from 1984 to 2001 and Comcast SportsNet from 2001 to 2017) until his departure after the 2018-19 NBA season.[1]

Style

[edit]

Buckhantz has garnered a reputation for his emphatic expressions, such as "Dagger", "Blocked by [player]!", "Backbreaker", "How good is he, Phil?", "How do you like that?", "Tough shot!", "It's good if it goes!....And it nearly did!", "Score the field goal, 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 [player/coach] is Livid!/Incensed", "Oh My!", "Follows it up twice!", "Foul, no call", and "NO, it's not possible!"

His 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[citation needed] "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).[2]

30 for 30

[edit]

In 2009, Buckhantz was featured in the ESPN 30 for 30 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 as the sports director at the time of Bias' death in 1986. In 2015 Buckhantz was featured in the NFL Network (Dexter Manley A Football Life) about the career of former Redskins great Dexter Manley. He was featured as a reporter for WTTG TV as the Sports Director during Manley's NFL career.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Wizards News: Wizards Broadcasters". Washington Wizards. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  2. ^ Steinberg, Dan (July 6, 2009). "Signature Calls: Buckhantz Talks "Dagger!"". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
[edit]
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