Former Heat radio announcer David Halberstam dies after battle with brain cancer
David Halberstam, who announced Heat games on radio for six seasons and then forged a long career as a broadcasting executive and media critic, died this week after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 74.
Halberstam called Heat games on radio from 1992 to 1998, displaying a lyrical style and a rich command of the English language.
He was one of only five radio announcers in team history - preceded by Sam Smith and current Heat television voice Eric Reid, and followed by Mike Inglis and now, Jason Jackson.
But he ultimately could not overcome an on-air misstep that contributed to the Heat not renewing his contract.
In March 1997, during a game against the Golden State Warriors, Halberstam was describing a pass by then-Heat backup point guard and current Heat TV analyst John Crotty, who played at Virginia, the university founded by Thomas Jefferson.
“Thomas Jefferson would have been proud of that pass from Crotty,” Halberstam said during that broadcast. “When Thomas Jefferson was around, basketball was not invented yet, but those slaves working at Thomas Jefferson’s farm, I’m sure they would have made good basketball players.”
Several Heat players, including forward Keith Askins, complained when they heard about that remark.
“I am offended,” Askins said. “By someone making any comment like that, you have to wonder where it’s coming from. I mean if you don’t think that way, where did it come from? It’s very touchy.”
The NBA fined Halberstam $2500 and he apologized on the air. The Heat issued a written statement that called his comments “inappropriate and offensive,” and said the team had been assured by Halberstam that it would never happen again.
He worked for the Heat for another full season afterward before the team parted ways with him after the 1997-98 season.
Born in New York City, Halberstam called St. John’s basketball from 1982 to 1992 before the Heat hired him for a dual broadcast and radio sales job. He announced two of the four consecutive memorable Heat-Knicks playoff series and entertained listeners with a distinctly unique style.
“I knew him when David was doing St. John’s and I was doing Providence,” Reid said by phone Tuesday. “We go back to the mid 80s. He was old school in terms of his respect and his appreciation for the history and the art of radio play by play.
“He was a protege of the great Marty Glickman and he studied the craft and had great respect for those that came before us. He embodied the descriptive nature of what a radio play by play guy is all about. He became an historian of it. And he was equally proficient on the business side.”
After the Heat did not renew his contract, Halberstam worked for many years in sales and broadcast management, including a stint as general manager of Westwood One Sports, from 2002 through 2008.
He also served as the radio voice of the Nova Southeastern University Sharks men’s basketball team from 2011 through 2019.
Halberstam wrote two books, one on radio sports history, “Sports on New York Radio: A Play-by-Play History” (1998) and one on advertising sales, “Sports Media and Sponsorship Sales: Developing New Accounts” (2016).
He launched sportsbroadcastjournal.com in 2018 and until last year, wrote weekly media columns and critiques of announcers. He said operating Sports Broadcast Journal was his “last dream.”
“David put endless passion and effort into this site,” the publication said in a statement on Tuesday. “Thank you to the readers over the years who fed that passion and gave him great joy.”
Reid on Tuesday fondly recalled the days when he traveled commercially with fellow Heat announcers Halberstam, Jack Ramsay and Jose Paneda, who remains the team’s Spanish radio voice.
“We dubbed ourselves the Four Horsemen -- myself, the late great Jack Ramsay, Jose and David,” Reid said. “That was a time we were not on the team plane and the four of us did everything together. It brought us together in a meaningful way.
“David was a well-rounded individual. When it came down to do business, he was a suit and tie professional. But he also had a quirky, fun loving part of his personality and he was enjoyable to be around.
“I gravitated to David because of his expertise and passion for the craft of radio play by play. Nobody who worked with David will forget him. His presence will be missed.”
Halberstam was not related to the author and historian David Halberstam, who died in 2007.
The former Heat announcer, who lived in Broward County, is survived by Donna (his wife of 39 years), three children and seven grandchildren.
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 4:11 PM.
