Detroit Pistons Announcer George Blaha Makes HUGE Announcement

You’d be hard-pressed to find a voice more synonymous with Detroit basketball than George Blaha. For 49 seasons, he’s been calling the action for the Detroit Pistons, delivering classic calls and witnessing decades of hoops history. But the Hall of Fame broadcaster recently revealed to Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press that none of this would’ve happened without a simple letter—and some legendary guidance.

How Ernie Harwell Helped Spark It All

Back in the early 1970s, Blaha was wrapping up his studies at the University of Michigan. He’d never worked at a radio station. Never called a game. Didn’t even have a tape.

So, he did something bold—he wrote a letter to Ernie Harwell, the beloved voice of the Detroit Tigers, asking for advice.

“Harwell, not surprisingly, wrote Blaha back,” Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press reported.

Harwell recommended the Institute of Broadcast Arts, a night school in Royal Oak that taught fundamentals like enunciation and timing—and most importantly, gave students a chance to record a tape.

That 10-week course, which Blaha attended at night while unloading grocery trucks during the day, opened the first door. He eventually sent his tape to a small Michigan station, WMIC in Sandusky, where he began calling Friday night high school games.

From there, the path led to Adrian, Michigan… and eventually to the Pistons.

49 Years Later, Still Going Strong

Blaha has survived nearly five decades in a business known for turnover. Even heart surgery in 2022 couldn’t keep him away for long.

And at 80 years old, he’s not quite ready to hang it up.

“I would not miss my 50th season, that’s for sure,” Blaha said. “But Father Time is unbeaten.”

He joked about wanting to finally take his wife to Italy someday—but also admitted that this year’s Pistons, who finished 44-38 and made the playoffs, are making that decision a lot harder.

“This year makes it tough. Why would you want to stop working?”

He may begin taking a few more games off here and there, but a full goodbye doesn’t seem imminent.

A Career That Was Never Guaranteed

Blaha’s journey is a reminder of what can happen when kindness and opportunity meet persistence.

From that first cold call to Ernie Harwell, to a 49-year career that now includes a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Blaha has become a fixture in the city—and a soundtrack to generations of fans.

The Bottom Line

George Blaha may have started with no tape and no experience, but one letter changed everything. As he prepares for a milestone 50th season with the Pistons, it’s clear that Detroit basketball just wouldn’t be the same without him.