Basketball Hall of Fame reveals recipients for 2023 Curt Gowdy Media Award

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (Feb. 17, 2023) – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the recipients of the 2023 Curt Gowdy Media Award and John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award at NBA All-Star Weekend.

ESPN reporter and play-by-play commentator Holly Rowe, ESPN and Andscape senior NBA writer Marc Spears and CBS Sports are the 2023 Curt Gowdy Media Award recipients. High school scout Tom Konchalski is the recipient of the 2023 John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Curt Gowdy Media Award is named in honor of the late Curt Gowdy, a legendary sports broadcaster and former Hall of Fame Board member and President. This prestigious award is presented to members of the print, electronic and transformative media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.

The Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award was instituted by the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Board of Trustees in 1973 and is the most prestigious award presented by the Hall of Fame outside of Enshrinement. Named in honor of Hall of Famer John W. Bunn (Class of 1964), the first chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame Committee who served from 1949-64, the award honors coaches, players, and contributors whose outstanding accomplishments have impacted the high school, college, professional and/or the international game.

Rowe, Spears, CBS Sports and Konchalski will be acknowledged for their contributions to basketball during the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend on August 11-12. For further details, including ticket information, visit hoophall.com/events/enshrinement-2023.

Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award Winner – Holly Rowe

Holly Rowe joined ESPN in 1998 and has primarily served as a play-by-play announcer for women’s basketball and volleyball, along with serving as a sideline reporter in 17 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournaments. In addition to her play-by-play duties, Rowe has been a fixture on college football sidelines since joining ESPN, including patrolling the benches during the College Football Playoffs, and contributing to the network’s volleyball, softball, NBA, and WNBA broadcasts.

Rowe, a melanoma survivor, attended Brigham Young University where she started her career in front of the lens as a news anchor at the campus TV station. She later graduated from the University of Utah and worked with FOX Sports, calling women’s college basketball games. In 2021, Rowe made Utah Jazz history as the team’s first female color commentator in a game against the Sacramento Kings, and the following year, she took home her first Sports Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Personality/Reporter.’

Curt Gowdy Print Media Award Winner – Marc Spears

In 2016, Marc Spears joined ESPN as a senior NBA writer for Andscape, a Black media platform dedicated to creating, highlighting, and elevating the diverse stories of Black identity. In this role, Spears covers breaking NBA news and has written several long-form stories that cover Black players’ journeys and challenges in their lives on and off the court.  In addition to his work with Andscape, Spears regularly contributes to other ESPN platforms, including Outside the Lines and E:60, SportsCenter, SC Featured, The Jump, ESPN Radio programs and more.

Spears, who has covered 18 NBA Finals and All-Star Games, gained global attention at Yahoo! Sports from 2009-16 before joining ESPN. Prior to Yahoo, he covered the Denver Nuggets for the Denver Post from 1990-2007 and the Boston Celtics with the Boston Globe from 2007-09. From 2011-17, Spears also served as the chairman of the board of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Curt Gowdy Transformative Media Award Winner – CBS Sports

CBS Sports has played a significant role in the growth and popularity of college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship for more than four decades. The network’s commitment and coverage has helped generate coast-to-coast excitement with millions of fans across the nation tuning in to the Tournament annually.

CBS Sports has been covering the NCAA Men’s Tournament since 1982 and has been the home to many of the greatest moments in college basketball history. That same year, CBS Sports launched the first-ever Selection Show, and five years later, the network introduced the legendary song “One Shining Moment” to college basketball fans. Additionally, CBS Sports’ rich history with college basketball began in 1966 when the network began televising select games from the National Invitation Tournament.

In addition to its Tournament coverage, CBS Sports has televised for the past 42 years a robust schedule of regular-season games and studio shows showcasing the nation’s top conferences. This season, CBS Sports will air 300 games across CBS, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports currently showcases numerous conference regular-season games, including the Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Pac-12, SEC, Mountain West, AAC, Conference USA, Atlantic 10, Missouri Valley, Patriot, MAC, SoCon, Colonial, NEC and West Coast Conference. This year, CBS Sports will award 12 automatic bids to the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments across its platforms.

CBS Sports continues to play an important role in the coverage and promotion of college basketball. Known for its expert analysis, the network has featured top personalities and a large system of reporters, across multiple platforms that has made CBS Sports the must-watch network for college basketball fans. Currently, CBS Sports partners with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports to present the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship annually on TBS, CBS, TNT and TruTV.

John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award Winner – Tom Konchalski

Known as, “The Gilder,” the late Tom Konchalski was an elite high school basketball scout for over four decades whose focus was primarily on creating opportunities for high school players at all levels of college basketball. Konchalski spent 43 years scouting the top prospects and published High School Basketball Illustrated (H.S.B.I), whose subscribers included more than 200 of the top college basketball coaches in the country.

Konchalski later managed the Five-Star Basketball Camp, a celebrated youth instructional showcase for future superstars including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry. In 1980, Konchalski famously helped get Jordan into the camp at the request of Roy Williams, an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina, which was recruiting Jordan. Konchalski was previously nominated for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor.

Previous Curt Gowdy Media Award Winners:

Year – Print/Electronic/Transformative/Insight

1990 – Dick Herbert/Curt Gowdy

1991 – Dave Dorr/Marty Glickman

1992 – Sam Goldaper/Chick Hearn

1993 – Leonard Lewin/Johnny Most

1994 – Leonard Koppett/Cawood Ledford

1995 – Bob Hammel/Dick Enberg

1996 – Bob Hentzen/Billy Packer

1997 – Bob Ryan/Marv Albert

1998 – Larry Donald & Dick Weiss/Dick Vitale

1999 – Smith Barrier/Bob Costas

2000 – Dave Kindred/Hubie Brown

2001 – Curry Kirkpatrick/Dick Stockton

2002 – Jim O’Connell/Jim Nantz

2003 – Sid Hartman/Hot Rod Hundley

2004 – Phil Jasner/Max Falkenstien

2005 – Jack McCallum/Bill Campbell

2006 – Mark Heisler/Bill Raftery

2007 – Malcolm Moran/Al McCoy

2008 – David DuPree/Bob Wolff

2009 – Peter Vecsey/Doug Collins

2010 – Jackie MacMullan/Joe Tait

2011 – Alexander Wolff/Jim Durham

2012 – Sam Smith/Bill Schonely

2013 – John Feinstein/Eddie Doucette

2014 – Joe Gilmartin/John Andariese

2015 – Rich Clarkson/Woody Durham

2016 – David Aldridge/Jay Bilas

2017 – Harvey Araton/Craig Sager

2018 – Andy Bernstein/Doris Burke

2019 – Marc Stein/Ralph Lawler

2020 – Michael Wilbon/Mike Breen/Inside the NBA/Jim Gray

2021 – Mel Greenberg/Mike Gorman/George Kalinsky

2022 – M.A. Voepel/Walt Frazier/Dick Ebersol

Previous John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award Winners:

1973 – John Bunn

1974 – John Wooden

1975 – J. Walter Kennedy

1976 – Henry P. Iba

1977 – Clifford B. Fagan

1978 – Curt Gowdy

1979 – Eddie Gottlieb

1980 – Arnold “Red” Auerbach

1981 – Ray Meyer

1982 – Daniel Biasone

1983 – Robert J. Cousy

1984 – Lawrence F. O’Brien

1985 – Lee Williams

1986 – Grady W. Lewis

1987 – David R. Gavitt

1988 – Haskell Hillyard

1989 – George E. Killian

1990 – Pat Head Summitt

1991 – Morgan B. Wootten

1992 – Will Robinson

1993 – Joe Vancisin

1994 – William Wall

1995 – Pete Carlesimo

1996 – Vic Bubas

1997 – C.M. Newton

1998 – Tex Winter

1999 – The Harlem Globetrotters

2000 – Meadowlark Lemon

2001 – Tom Jernstedt

2002 – Harvey Pollack

2003 – Joe O’Brien

2004 – Zelda Spoelstra

2005 – Marty Blake

2006 – Betty Jaynes

2007 – Thomas “Satch” Sanders

2008 – Val Ackerman

2009 – Johnny “Red” Kerr

2010 – Don Meyer

2011 – Brian McIntyre

2012 – Pat Williams

2013 – George Raveling

2014 – Alvin Attles

2015 – Rod Thorn

2016 – Jim Delany

2017 – Michael Goldberg

2017 – Donald “Dee” Rowe

2018 – Harley Redin & Jim Host

2019 – Del Harris & Harry Glickman

2020 – Timothy Nugent

2022 – Reggie Minton