Steve Holman - Voice of the Atlanta Hawks
The "Voice of the Hawks," Georgia Sports Hall of Famer, Atlanta Sports Hall of Famer and Georgia Radio Hall of Famer Steve Holman is in his 38th season, and has never missed a Hawks' regular season or playoff radio broadcast, a span of 2,827 games. His play-by-play streak, which began in March of 1989, hit game number 2,500 in the Hawks’ 2018-19 opener at New York on October 17, 2018. He has broadcast Hawks games in five different decades.
The five-time Georgia Sportscaster of the Year (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021) by the National Sports Media Association, Holman also took home three consecutive Gabby Awards from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters (2015-17) and was inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame in 2017.
Holman has announced Hawks games around the globe, including contests from Russia, England, Puerto Rico and Canada, and has been a part of several notable historical calls, including the night Dominique Wilkins became the team’s all-time scoring leader, Lenny Wilkens’ record-breaking 939th career win and the Hawks' Eastern Conference Finals trips in 2015 and 2021.
The 68-year-old Holman had done play-by-play and color commentary on Hawks broadcasts for three-and-a-half years before taking over the full time play-by-play duties in 1989.
During the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Holman was part of Westwood One’s/NBA National Radio coverage, calling play-by-play action for both the United States men’s and women’s gold medal basketball teams, in addition to boxing.
Holman’s first radio job was as a 17-year-old high school senior at WCCM, where he got to work under sportscasting icon Curt Gowdy, who owned the station. Holman has been involved in the NBA since the early 1970s when he was broadcast assistant to the Boston Celtics' late play-by-play legend Johnny Most. Holman's first experience calling NBA action came in 1976 when Most lost his voice mid-game.
He has been a fixture on Atlanta radio since 1980 when he arrived to work on Falcons football and Atlanta Chiefs soccer. Along with his numerous awards for sports reporting, Holman has also won the Georgia Associated Press Award. Holman's son, Scott, and wife Amy, are the parents of Holman's grandchildren, Connor, Caitlyn and Collier Steven. His son, Steve Jr., passed away after a short illness on January 19, 2018. The Steve Holman Jr. Media Award endowment was established at Woodward Academy in Atlanta in his memory (Woodward.edu/Holman).
On March 23, 2015, Holman was honored on the floor of the Georgia State House of Representatives after a meeting with Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. Holman was born March 5, 1954 in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
