FOX announcer Gus Johnson would like the Seattle Sonics job

If and when the Seattle Sonics return to the NBA, legendary play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson could be a name worth keeping in mind.

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Johnson is known well for his memorable football and college basketball calls, including a famous one in Seattle – which we’ll get to in a second. But he’s also done plenty of NBA in his time, including as the TV man for the New York Knicks.

Johnson joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Wednesday, and he quickly started gushing about Seattle, which he called “one of my favorite places in the whole wide world.”

In fact, he keeps a piece of Seattle in his house.

“When I used to do a lot of games out in Seattle, I bought some art from a local artist,” he told hosts Brock Huard and Mike Salk. “I have a picture of the public market (with) Mount Rainier, downtown Seattle, the Space Needle – I’m looking at it right now. It hangs right over my bed.”

Asked if he would ever move to Seattle, Johnson went one better, citing another legend, longtime Sonics play-by-play voice (and former Seattle Sports host) Kevin Calabro in the process.

“If I could, I would,” he answered. “Kevin Calabro is, like, an idol of mine. If there was any job that I would like to have, aside from the Knicks, it would be the Sonics. We get to have the Sonics name back too, right?”

Oh, you better believe it, Gus.

“If there is any job that I would like to have aside from the Knicks, it’s the Sonics” Gus Johnson didn't shy away from his feeling about Seattle & the Supersonics. Why would a potential Sonics job be so appealing to him?

Click here for full interview: https://t.co/nDBJkCtuov pic.twitter.com/6KCe13vQPk

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) March 13, 2024

Now onto the promised memorable call of Johnson’s with Seattle ties.

‘Cold blooded’ the personal favorite call of Gus Johnson

Tuesday marked 13 years since the UW Huskies won the Pac-10 Tournament championship over Arizona on a buzzer-beating jump shot by Isaiah Thomas. The play itself is iconic, but it’s made even more so by Johnson’s incredible call that accompanied it.

Bringing back this ICONIC Gus Johnson call when Isaiah Thomas hit the game winner for @UW_MBB 🙌 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/zfaSGF1mVL

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 6, 2024

That call was the first piece of business Brock and Salk got to with Johnson, as it’s something they (and many Seattle sports fans) have revisited over and over again.

Johnson is fond of the call himself, but it sounds like he didn’t quite realize how important it is to people from the Pacific Northwest.

“That’s my favorite of all-time for me, personally,” Johnson said. “There’s nothing like that one. I’ve never called a game, that I remember, when a person hit a shot or made a touchdown or something to win the game for a championship. That was unbelievable. That little guy, he was so tough. Man, oh man, Isaiah Thomas, my young ‘Zeke.’ That was my favorite. That is my favorite.”

Johnson was touched to hear how Brock and Salk remember the moment after all these years.

“I tell you, it really pulls at my heart to hear that, to know that I was a part of that, part of that history,” he said. “Do they still play that? Is that call ever talked about in Seattle very often?”

Answered Salk: “Gus, on this show, that call is probably played still… three times a year? We play that cut all the time.”

Johnson also talked about the potential of Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy as a Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson moving to Pittsbugh and more. Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation with him in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post.

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