Marc Stein, an N.B.A. reporter for more than 30 years who now covers the league for The New York Times, and Ralph Lawler, longtime broadcaster for the Los Angeles Clippers, were honored on Friday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which named them as the 2019 Curt Gowdy Media Award recipients for their contributions to basketball.
Stein, 49, and Lawler, 80, will be among those honored at the Hall of Fame’s September enshrinement ceremonies in Springfield, Mass.
Stein started his career covering the Clippers and then the Lakers for The Los Angeles Daily News, before moving to The Dallas Morning News as a Mavericks beat reporter and eventually a national columnist. From there, he went to ESPN for 15 years, developing a reputation for breaking news and helping the network build its digital coverage of the N.B.A. He joined The Times in 2017.
Lawler has announced that he will retire at the end of this season after more than 2,000 broadcasts in his 30 years with the Clippers. He established his reputation as a broadcaster in Philadelphia, working on Phillies, Flyers and 76ers games.
The Hall of Fame also announced 13 finalists for induction this year, including four first-time finalists: Marques Johnson, the 1977 national collegiate player of the year; Jack Sikma, a seven-time N.B.A. All-Star; Ben Wallace, a four-time recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year Award; and Paul Westphal, a four-time All-Star and a longtime coach.
The other finalists are Leta Andrews, Hugh Evans, Bill Fitch, Bobby Jones, Sidney Moncrief, Barbara Stevens, Eddie Sutton, Teresa Weatherspoon and Chris Webber.
The election results will be announced at the men’s Final Four in April.
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