Longtime Cleveland Cavaliers play-by-play announcer Fred McLeod has passed away at the age of 67. In celebration of his life and legendary career, below are the best calls of his broadcasting career in no particular order.
Here is McLeod’s call when the Cavs won the title after mounting a 3-1 comeback against the 73-win Golden State Warriors squad in 2016. It ended Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought and brought LeBron James his third title.
t's only right to re-live the #Cavs' championship moment while hearing Fred McLeod's voice. 😢 #NBA #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/bhnINmcJBu
— Cavs Nation (@CavsNationCP) September 10, 2019
Above is McLeod’s voice. Below is his reaction to the team’s championship win.
Fred McLeod gave us this beautiful call of the Cavs 2016 championship. Fred was all of Cleveland here.
Thank you for all the memories.
-Sincerely Cleveland pic.twitter.com/HqL6tglkXU— Everything Cleveland (@EverythingCLE_) September 10, 2019
Up next is McLeod’s explosive commentary on James’ vicious slam against the Portland Trail Blazers. The slam caught everyone by surprise given James’ age. Nobody knew that he could still get up that high and slam it down. McLeod, for his part, chose the perfect words to describe the moment.
RIP Fred McLeod, this call is forever legendary. pic.twitter.com/KGoLopmzo9
— Irsyad Aufadhia Maro (@IrsyadMaro) September 10, 2019
McLeod also provided this gem during Kyrie Irving’s early years with the Cavs. Apparently, the legendary sportscaster couldn’t “take it anymore” after Irving’s dagger against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
My favourite Fred McLeod call pic.twitter.com/xyVuvvgysc
— Cavs Sports Talk 🏀 (@CavsSportsTalk) September 10, 2019
Below is his call of James’ 3-point shot from a Kevin Love full-court heave. The shot was tagged as one of the top plays of the year — and McLeod immediately knew the moment was special.
Don’t forget this call by Fred McLeod. One of his best.
— Everything Cleveland (@EverythingCLE_) September 10, 2019
Finally, see and hear McLeod’s reaction to James’ game-winning shot against the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.
Awful news this morning for me and many fans. Fred McLeod, commentator for Fox Sports Ohio, has passed away at the age of 67. YOU WILL BE MISSED 🥺💔 #Rip pic.twitter.com/COd3vzX0vh
— Rams 🐏💪 // Cavs Szn // 2k20 🏀⚔️🔥 (@FLEXIN_IN_CLE) September 10, 2019
Rest in peace, Fred.
