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Mike Gorman (born November 24, 1947) is an American former sports commentator. After returning from the United States Navy in the 1970s, he began working at radio and television stations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island with the help of fellow commentator Gil Santos. Starting in 1981, Gorman began providing play-by-play commentary for local television broadcasts of the Boston Celtics, doing so alongside color commentator and Celtics legend Tom Heinsohn. The duo called games together until 2020, with Gorman later retiring from broadcasting in 2024.
Outside of the Celtics, Gorman also worked with CBS Sports, ESPN, NBC, and TBS, providing play-by-play for events like Big East basketball games, NCAA basketball tournament games, the NBA playoffs, and the Summer Olympic Games. Gorman was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 as a recipient of the Curt Gowdy Award.
Gorman graduated from Boston State College, now known as the University of Massachusetts Boston, in 1969, studying to become a teacher and coach. Shortly after graduating, however, Gorman was drafted into the United States Navy and became an aviator specializing in reconnaissance. He served in the VP-44 squadron operating out of Naval Air Station Brunswick, and was regarded by the squadron as one of their most trustworthy aviators. Gorman was originally due to take part in an air mission near the coast of Spain in 1972 that eventually crashed into a mountain while operating in poor weather, killing all 14 crewmen onboard; he had been redirected to handle paperwork at the last minute. The guilt Gorman felt from not being able to assist his squadron during the mission led to him never flying again and later retiring from the Navy in 1973, returning to live with his parents in Dorchester afterward.
Heinsohn influenced Gorman's commentary technique by encouraging him to "talk about what we see in front of us" rather than conventionally referring to sets of notes about each team. Gorman's trademark calls during Celtics games would be occasionally exclaiming "got it!" or "takes it... makes it!" whenever a Celtics player made an important shot. He was inspired by Celtics radio commentator Johnny Most and his "bang!" call to make a signature call of his own; Most personally approved of the "got it!" call. Gorman considered the team's 2007–08 season, in which they won their record-setting 17th NBA championship, to be his favorite season as a commentator. Gorman's partnership with Heinsohn came to an end when Heinsohn died in November 2020. Former Celtics player and 2008 NBA champion Brian Scalabrine took over Heinsohn's role as the color commentator.
Prior to the 2023–24 season, Gorman announced his intention to retire following the season's conclusion. For his final season, Gorman called only Celtics home games while Drew Carter called all Celtics road games. During the final game of the Celtics' regular season on April 12, 2024, the courtside broadcasting table for TD Garden was renamed to the "Mike Gorman Broadcast Table" in a halftime ceremony honoring Gorman. In addition, Boston mayor Michelle Wu declared April 12, 2024, as "Mike Gorman Day" to honor his final regular season game with the Celtics. His final game came on May 1, 2024, in which the Celtics eliminated the Miami Heat from the playoffs in the fifth game of the first round. His tenure with the Celtics lasted 43 years. Gorman's last game came one day before the final broadcast for longtime Boston Bruins play-by-play commentator Jack Edwards, who also announced his retirement during the Bruins' season. The Celtics went on to win a record-setting 18th NBA championship, defeating the Dallas Mavericks; Gorman joined the Celtics for their duck boat victory parade afterward. Gorman was succeeded by Carter full-time as the Celtics' television play-by-play commentator.
Gorman's typical gameday routine included exercising for one hour and taking a nap for half an hour prior to the game. In 2023, he suffered a sudden detached retina while having lunch that resulted in him temporarily losing sight in one eye; the injury would have resulted in permanent blindness had he not been operated on within 48 hours. The surgery resulted in him briefly calling Celtics games with an eye patch, and contributed to his decision to retire after the 2023–24 season.
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