Marv Albert Signed By Turner

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 14, 1999 / 9:40 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

Marv Albert is joining Turner Sports to do NBA games and other sports, moving his return to broadcasting to the national level.

Albert, fired by NBC in 1997 after pleading guilty to biting a woman during a sexual encounter in a Virginia hotel room, agreed to a multiyear contract and was introduced as a Turner Sports announcer today at Madison Square Garden.

He will broadcast six regular-season NBA games, doing play-by-play with analyst Reggie Theus. His start tentatively is scheduled to begin with TNT's broadcast of the Los Angeles Lakers game at Phoenix on April 2. Next season, he plans to do 25 games.

Yesss! Marv Albert is back on national television. (AP)

"I'm so happy with this situation," Albert said.

Albert returned to New York's Madison Square Garden Network in September as a weeknight anchor. Besides NBA games, he also will work boxing, the 2001 Goodwill Games and possibly the pro football league that is in the planning stages between Turner and NBC.

Albert's last national telecast was the NBA Finals in 1997 with NBC. Later that year, he was fired by NBC and resigned from MSG Network. He has fulfilled the terms of his probation and his record has been cleared.

In his new deal with MSG, Albert was assigned to call a number of New York Knicks games on radio. His first game back was Feb. 8 in the Knicks' home opener against Miami.