For years, Hornets fans have begged for their beloved voice to land a national stage. Now, it’s finally happening. Tucked beneath headlines about Kevin Harlan’s Prime Video deal and analyst signings like Brent Barry and Dell Curry, one name stood out. Amazon quietly announced that Eric Collins would join a stacked lineup of play-by-play announcers this season. And that crew already boasts heavyweights like Ian Eagle and Michael Grady.
Naturally, fans are buzzing with curiosity about Collins. He is the man who turned Hornets games into an electric theater. How did he climb to this coveted spotlight? Well, it’s a story worth knowing.
Who is Eric Collins and how did he become the Charlotte Hornets’ play-by-play announcer?
Born June 16, 1969, in Cleveland, Ohio, Eric graduated from St. Lawrence University. He wasn’t a player or a former coach, but the magnetic pull of a microphone hooked him early. And the most surprising part is, sports broadcasting wasn’t his childhood blueprint. Yet somehow, the roar of the crowd and the thrill of live calls felt like home.
Eric’s voice first hit national airwaves in 2002 when he filled in for Mike Tirico on College Football on ABC. That was just his foot in the door. Over the next decade, Collins built a resume that many could only dream about. From calling games for the Chicago White Sox to serving as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ part-time TV voice between 2009 and 2013. He made his mark across almost all of America’s major leagues. He even worked at the sidelines for the Chicago Bulls during their dynastic ’90s run.
But who knew that Charlotte would become his home court? In 2015, Collins officially joined FOX Sports Southeast as the Hornets’ play-by-play announcer, succeeding longtime voice Steve Martin.
But the transition wasn’t as awkward as many would suspect. Eric recalled, “What happened was Steve moved from TV to radio, so there was a real kind of soft welcoming for me when I came to town. It wasn’t as harsh. Steve was still there and still smiling and still on the radio. He was still a presence inside the arena. He was able to tell me what was important. He was able to fill me in with Hornets history and who was who.”
And from then on, Eric became a steady presence in the Hornets’ arena. That mutual respect sparked a chemistry between Eric and the franchise that’s now lasted nearly a decade.
What makes Eric Collins’ broadcasting style stand out in the NBA?
The Charlotte Hornets‘ play-by-play man isn’t one to ease into a game. He’s pedal-to-the-floor from the first possession. Eric’s love for broadcasting sparked during a high school basketball game in Chicago, and from that moment, restraint was never part of his playbook. After his very first call, a producer advised him to pace his excitement, to build toward big moments.
As Eric remembered, “The producer actually came up to me after my very first game and said that was great but you have to remember you kind of have to build up to something and I said no I don’t,”.
That fearless, instinct-driven style eventually became his trademark. And the most shocking fact is, he doesn’t follow scripts. Even avoids casual chitchats, avoids social media chatter, and steers clear of other broadcasts. And all these are to make his voice more authentic, unfiltered, and raw. And if you ever caught him behind the mic, you could feel that his broadcasts aren’t just designed for the purists alone. They’re for anyone who stumbles upon a Hornets game and gets swept up in the madness.
From wild dunks to buzzer-beaters, Eric Collins amplifies every moment with offbeat, viral-worthy commentary. And that fearless, fan-first, joy-soaked delivery is exactly why clips of his calls light up timelines all season long.
What is Eric Collins’ background in sports broadcasting before joining the Hornets?
Before becoming the pulse of Charlotte Hornets broadcasts, Eric Collins built a resume that reads like a sports media road trip. He actually started on the news desk as a general assignment reporter, chasing hard news stories. But the daily grind of covering tragedies wore thin, and Collins pivoted to sports, drawn by the chance to spotlight human triumphs instead of heartbreak.
Baseball became his first big stage. He called games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and even worked Minor League stints with the Schaumburg Flyers and Rochester Red Wings. He also called baseball at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, further padding his play-by-play chops. But beneath all that, Collins quietly carried a torch for basketball.
As Eric once said, “I never was good at saying ‘no’ to a job, and baseball happened to be first, and it was great. I loved it but I always kind of knew in the back of my brain that my energy, and my passion, and my excitement level fit really well with basketball.” And that gut feeling proved right. Collins grabbed a courtside seat as a Chicago Bulls sideline reporter during the Michael Jordan era, a front-row education in basketball drama.
Over the years, he navigated broadcast booths at FOX, NBC, and the Big Ten Network, seamlessly adjusting to different partners and setups. By the time the Hornets’ job opened in 2015, Collins was more than ready to bring his years of hard-earned experience to the table..
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