SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the recipients of the 2026 Curt Gowdy Media Awards:
- Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award Recipient – Chris Carrino, Brooklyn Nets play-by-play announcer
- Curt Gowdy Print Media Award Recipient – Seth Davis, college basketball writer and broadcaster
- Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award Recipient – Mike Fratello, Emmy-winning basketball analyst
- Curt Gowdy Transformative Media Award Recipient – Ma Guoli, founder of China’s most watched sports TV channel (CCTV-5)
The Curt Gowdy Media Awards are named in honor of the late Curt Gowdy, a legendary sports broadcaster and former Hall of Fame Board member and President. These prestigious awards are presented to members of the print, electronic, and transformative media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to basketball.
Carrino, Davis, Fratello, Guoli, and Leah Wilcox, the recipient of the 2026 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, will be recognized during the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend at the Gala and Awards Celebration on Friday, August 14th, at Mohegan Sun. For further details, including ticket information, visit here as more information is updated.
Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award Recipient – Chris Carrino
Chris Carrino has served as the Brooklyn Nets’ radio play-by-play announcer since 2002, having joined the organization in 1992 as a studio producer and feature reporter. He steadily worked his way up to studio host, backup play-by-play announcer, and ultimately the team’s lead radio voice. Over more than two decades on the call, Carrino has narrated many of the franchise’s defining moments, including consecutive NBA Finals appearances and the Nets’ historic first game in Brooklyn.
Congratulations to Chris Carrino on being the recipient of the Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award. #GowdyAward pic.twitter.com/aRuliYk8hE
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) March 6, 2026
A respected national basketball broadcaster, Carrino has called men’s and women’s basketball for NBC at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games, and serves as Westwood One’s national radio voice of the NCAA Tournament.
A graduate of Fordham University and former standout on WFUV, Carrino was mentored by legendary broadcaster Marty Glickman and was later inducted into the Iona Prep Hall of Fame. In 2023, he was honored with the NBA’s Values of the Game Award, recognizing his excellence on-air and his impact within the league community.
Curt Gowdy Print Media Award Recipient – Seth Davis
Seth Davis is an award-winning college basketball writer and broadcaster, and a bestselling author. Davis joined CBS Sports in 2003 as a contributor to the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, and in 2004, became a host of the network’s March Madness NCAA basketball tournament. He currently serves as a studio analyst on At the Half and Inside College Basketball, and hosts Men of March, CBS’s interview program showcasing prominent coaches from Division I programs.
Congratulations to Seth Davis on being the recipient of the Curt Gowdy Print Media Award. #GowdyAward pic.twitter.com/DP52eBNecE
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) March 6, 2026
Before joining CBS, Davis spent 22 years as a writer at Sports Illustrated. During that time, he wrote the “Inside College Basketball” and “Hoop Thoughts” columns, the latter of which became a weekly staple for many during the college basketball season. He has authored nine books, four of which have become New York Times best sellers, including: Wooden: A Coach’s Life and When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball, and has also coauthored memoirs with Sister Jean and Rex Chapman.
Davis is also a senior writer at The Athletic and the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of HoopsHQ, a subscriber-based, year-round digital media company and newsletter focused on comprehensive coverage of men’s and women’s college basketball. Davis was inducted into the US Basketball Writers’ Association Hall of Fame in April 2023.
Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award Recipient – Mike Fratello
Mike Fratello is an Emmy-winning basketball analyst and former NBA and FIBA head coach, widely known as “Czar of the Telestrator” for his innovative use of on-screen play diagramming. In the early 1990s, Fratello began his national broadcasting career with NBC Sports, working alongside legendary play-by-play announcer Marv Albert to call NBA games for three seasons. Albert and Fratello also called all the games of the “Dream Team” at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Congratulations to Mike Fratello on being the recipient of the Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award. #GowdyAward pic.twitter.com/U35UBhL4Qe
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) March 6, 2026
Fratello’s broadcast contributions have earned him a 2015 New York Emmy Award for Best Sports Analyst and four consecutive nominations (2012-15). His relationship with Turner Sports spans decades, including NBA playoff coverage (1994-96), regular-season work (1999-2004), and Thursday night NBA coverage alongside Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, and Reggie Miller (2009-13). He later joined NBA GameTime Live (2014-19) and appeared on select NBA on TNT telecasts.
Beyond national broadcasts, Fratello served as color commentator for the Nets on YES Network for 10 seasons (2008-18), the Cavaliers on Bally Sports Ohio from 2016-23, and currently serves as analyst for the Clippers. His nine-season YES Network run with play-by-play announcers Marv Albert, Ian Eagle, and Ryan Ruocco contributed to the broadcast team’s 2014 New York Emmy for Best Live Sports Series.
Curt Gowdy Transformative Media Award Recipient – Ma Guoli
Ma Guoli is a pioneering figure in Chinese sports television. Ma graduated from Beijing Broadcasting Institute in 1982 with a degree in TV production and joined China Central Television (CCTV) Sports that same year. He quickly rose through the ranks, serving as CCTV’s Head of Sports from 1988-89, Deputy Director from 1989-93, and was ultimately promoted to Director in 1993. As Director of CCTV Sports, he established CCTV-5, China’s first dedicated sports channel, in 1995, transforming Chinese sports broadcasting and creating what would become the nation’s premier sports media platform.
Congratulations to Ma Guoli on being the recipient of the Curt Gowdy Transformative Media Award. #GowdyAward pic.twitter.com/dVTfnbIHGb
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) March 6, 2026
Under Ma’s leadership, CCTV-5 grew from a startup with a small team of staff members to a powerhouse of over 500 employees within a decade. His success at CCTV-5 led to his appointment as Chief Operating Officer of Beijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB) for the 2008 Olympic Games, where he oversaw broadcast operations for one of the most-watched sporting events in history.
Following the Olympics, Ma transitioned to the CEO and Managing Director of Infront China in October of 2008, leveraging his broadcasting expertise in sports marketing and media rights. He later served as an advisor to Hall of Famer Yao Ming (Class of 2016) at the Chinese Basketball Association, a role he held until 2020, during which he continued to shape the development of sports media and basketball in China.
Previous Curt Gowdy Media Award Recipients:
Print/Electronic/Transformative/Insight
| 1990 – Dick Herbert/Curt Gowdy | 2010 – Jackie MacMullan/Joe Tait |
| 1991 – Dave Dorr/Marty Glickman | 2011 – Alexander Wolff/Jim Durham |
| 1992 – Sam Goldaper/Chick Hearn | 2012 – Sam Smith/Bill Schonely |
| 1993 – Leonard Lewin/Johnny Most | 2013 – John Feinstein/Eddie Doucette |
| 1994 – Leonard Koppett/Cawood Ledford | 2014 – Joe Gilmartin/John Andariese |
| 1995 – Bob Hammel/Dick Enberg | 2015 – Rich Clarkson/Woody Durham |
| 1996 – Bob Hentzen/Billy Packer | 2016 – David Aldridge/Jay Bilas |
| 1997 – Bob Ryan/Marv Albert | 2017 – Harvey Araton/Craig Sager |
| 1998 – Larry Donald & Dick Weiss/Dick Vitale | 2018 – Andy Bernstein/Doris Burke |
| 1999 – Smith Barrier/Bob Costas | 2019 – Marc Stein/Ralph Lawler |
| 2000 – Dave Kindred/Hubie Brown | 2020 – Michael Wilbon/Mike Breen/Inside the NBA/Jim Gray |
| 2001 – Curry Kirkpatrick/Dick Stockton | 2021 – Mel Greenberg/Mike Gorman/George Kalinsky |
| 2002 – Jim O’Connell/Jim Nantz | 2022 – M.A. Voepel/Walt Frazier/Dick Ebersol |
| 2003 – Sid Hartman/Hot Rod Hundley | 2023 – Holly Rowe/Marc Spears/CBS Sports |
| 2004 – Phil Jasner/Max Falkenstien | 2024 – Debbie Antonelli/J.A. Adande/”NBA Inside Stuff”/SLAM Magazine |
| 2005 – Jack McCallum/Bill Campbell | 2025 – George Blaha/Clark Kellogg/Michelle Smith/Adrian Wojnarowski |
| 2006 – Mark Heisler/Bill Raftery | |
| 2007 – Malcolm Moran/Al McCoy | |
| 2008 – David DuPree/Bob Wolff | |
| 2009 – Peter Vecsey/Doug Collins |
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 150 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophall #GowdyAward.
