Longtime Los Angeles Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter is retiring from his position after more than 40 years manning the microphone at Lakers home games, the team announced Tuesday.
Tanter, 76, will stay on as an adviser on the Lakers' game presentation, according to the team.
"Lawrence Tanter has been an integral part of the Lakers gameday experience for more than four decades, setting the tone for countless memorable moments with his professionalism, energy and signature booming voice," said Lakers governor Jeanie Buss in a statement. "Since the 1980s, LT has narrated every chapter of Lakers basketball, connecting generations of fans, players, coaches and staff while becoming a trusted and unforgettable part of the Lakers experience. I am incredibly grateful for everything he has given to this franchise."
Tanter suffered a stroke in March, sources told ESPN, causing him to miss the Lakers' last six home games of the regular season, plus the playoffs. Tanter continues to rehab from the health setback, sources said. Jason Barquero, the P.A. announcer for the Lakers' G League affiliate, finished the season in Tanter's absence.
The team did not name a successor for Tanter in Tuesday's announcement.
Known by Lakers fans simply by his initials, LT, Tanter's smooth, baritone voice provided the soundtrack for the Lakers' starting lineups, substitutions, fouls and score announcements for 43 seasons, making him the longest tenured P.A. announcer in team history.
Tanter became famous for his cool delivery, channeling his parallel career as a disc jockey for various jazz radio stations in L.A., Tanter's signature call became announcing "The Laker girlllssss" when the dance team finished a routine.
Tanter's role was particularly poignant during the Lakers' last championship season in 2019-20. When the Lakers played their first game after Kobe Bryant's tragic death in January, Tanter introduced all five Lakers starters with the same line: "6-6, 20th year out of Lower Merion High School, Kob-eeeeee Bryant!" Later that season, when the Lakers competed in the NBA Bubble in Orlando and eventually took home the title, Tanter recorded player introductions at a home studio in the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles that were played before Lakers games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Standing 6-7, Tanter played forward for his high school basketball team and received a scholarship to attend the University of Dubuque in Iowa.