Los Angeles Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter is retiring after 43 seasons behind the microphone at the NBA club's home games, the team announced in a report carried by NBA.com.
The Lakers said Tanter will remain with the organization as a special advisor for game presentation, keeping him connected to the franchise after one of the longest arena-voice runs in the league.
Tanter Moves Into Lakers Advisor Role
NBA.com, carrying an Associated Press report from Los Angeles, listed the announcement as published June 16, 2026. The report said Tanter began his Lakers role in 1982, making his run span the Showtime era, the Kobe Bryant years, the LeBron James era and several different versions of the franchise's home arena presentation.
The Lakers won 10 NBA championships during Tanter's time as public address announcer. The report also said he is from Chicago and became a familiar part of the game-night environment for players, coaches, staff and generations of fans.
Jeanie Buss credited Tanter's professionalism, energy and voice as part of the franchise's home-game identity. The team did not announce a replacement in the NBA.com report, so this article does not project who will take over the role.
A 43-Season Arena Voice Steps Back
Tanter's job put him close to several defining Lakers moments. NBA.com noted he was on the microphone when LeBron James became the first player in league history to reach 50,000 combined regular-season and postseason points in 2025.
The report also recalled Tanter's role in the Lakers' first home game after Kobe Bryant was killed in 2020, when he introduced all five starters as Bryant before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
For the Lakers, the change is part personnel move and part game-presentation transition. Tanter is stepping away from the public address chair, but his new advisory role keeps four decades of institutional knowledge inside the organization.