Voice of the Lakers, Hearn, Has 2nd Operation
L.A. Lakers sports announcer Chick Hearn was in critical but stable condition late on Saturday in a California hospital after undergoing two operations for a serious head injury stemming from a fall at his home, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Hearn, 85, who for four decades has been the “Voice of the Lakers” and is credited with coining the phrases “air ball” and “slam dunk,” first underwent surgery early on Saturday for intracranial bleeding at Northridge Hospital Medical Center after falling down on Friday evening.
Doctors ordered a second operation to relieve further bleeding later, and doctors completed the second surgery Saturday afternoon, according to the hospital’s spokeswoman.
Firefighters and paramedics were called to Hearn’s home in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino Hills at 7 p.m. after the play-by-play announcer injured his head in a fall in the back yard of his home.
Hearn, born in Illinois, began his Lakers broadcasting career in 1961 and amassed a streak of calling 3,338 consecutive games until undergoing heart surgery in December last year. He returned to work in April in time to watch the Lakers win their third consecutive NBA championship.
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