Ray Clay is an American
public address announcer
An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience of a broadcast media programme or live event.
Television and other media
Some announcers work in television production, radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, ...
best known for his work for the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
organization in the 1990s.
Chicago Bulls
A native of
Berwyn, Illinois
Berwyn is a suburban city in Cook County, Illinois, coterminous with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 57,250.
History
Before being s ...
, Clay began announcing basketball games at the
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...
in 1980. He was hired by the Bulls in 1990 and worked with them for 12 ½ seasons, during which the team won six
NBA Championships
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
. With the rising popularity of the team, many traditions Clay adopted from his predecessor,
Tommy Edwards
Thomas Jefferson Edwards (October 15, 1922 – October 23, 1969) was an American singer and songwriter. His most successful record was the multi-million-selling song " It's All in the Game", becoming the first African-American to reach No. 1 on ...
, became known worldwide, including the opening address to the fans (“Aaaaand now...the starting lineup...for your...Chicago Bulls!”) the distinctive player introductions (e.g., “Frommmm
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
...at
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
...6’6"...
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
!”), and the use of
The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They were accompanie ...
instrumental "
Sirius
Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...
" as background music for the introductions. The Jordan-style introduction remains a tradition for any former Tar Heel with the Bulls with successors.
Clay’s fame during the height of the Bulls success led to a minor acting career. For example, he guest starred in a 1993 episode of the sitcom ''
Married... with Children'' and had roles in the films ''
Blink
Blinking is a bodily function; it is a semi-autonomic rapid closing of the eyelid. A single blink is determined by the forceful closing of the eyelid or inactivation of the levator palpebrae superioris and the activation of the palpebral portio ...
'' and ''
He Got Game
''He Got Game'' is a 1998 American sports drama film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington and Ray Allen. The film revolves around Jake Shuttlesworth ( Denzel Washington), father of the top-ranked basketball p ...
''. In addition, he lent his vocal talents to several basketball
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s and read the "
Top Ten" on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'' in 1998.
2002 dismissal
In January 2002, Michael Jordan was scheduled to return to the
United Center
United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is named ...
for the first time since leaving the Bulls in 1998. Jordan was then playing for the
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...
, and ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' columnist
Jay Mariotti
Jay Mariotti (; born June 22, 1959) is an American sports journalist and commentator who currently hosts the sports-related podcast ''Unmuted''. He previously spent 17 years as a ''Chicago Sun-Times'' columnist and eight years as a regular pan ...
asked Clay how he was going to introduce the ex-Bull. Clay explained that he wanted to deliver his familiar introduction for Jordan, but team management had ordered him to introduce Jordan as he would any other opposing player. "When I gave my opinion, that was Ray Clay, the fan, talking. But when you work for an organization, you are bound by rules and how they want you to talk and act," he said.
[Mariotti, Jay. “Tired tactics need no introduction”. ''Chicago Sun-Times''. May 15, 2002.]
Clay was then fired in May of that year. The Bulls gave no official reason for Clay’s dismissal, but Clay speculated he was fired because of his disagreement with team management over Jordan’s introduction. “When you put two and two together, that’s all it could be. I can’t think of anything else I ever did wrong,” he told Mariotti.
In April 2003, Clay accepted an invitation to introduce Jordan at the
First Union Center
The Wells Fargo Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, where Jordan played his last game in the NBA.
Chicago Sky
In 2006, Clay was hired to become an announcer for the
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 20 ...
of the
WNBA. At the time of his hiring, the Sky played their home games at UIC, where Clay was working as director of campus recreation.
[Steve Tucker. "Sky hooks Clay to do its PA". ''Chicago Sun-Times''. April 28, 2006. 131.]
Clay retired from announcing Chicago Sky games in 2019 after 12 years with the team.
References
External links
Ray Clay Responds*
Video of Ray Clay introducing the Bulls in the 1997 NBA Finals
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clay, Ray
American sports announcers
Chicago Bulls
Chicago Sky
Living people
National Basketball Association public address announcers
People from Berwyn, Illinois
UIC Flames basketball
Year of birth missing (living people)