Nets Offseason Of Upheaval Extends To Broadcast Booth With Grady Earning Well-Deserved Career Advancement
When the NBA schedule-makers announced on Wednesday that the Nets would have a diminished presence on national television for the 2022-23 season, particularly those contests that were deemed exclusives, most fans thought, “Great—more games on the YES Network!”
It’s crazy that for decades, even when the Nets have been rotten, this franchise has had, in my biased opinion, the best local broadcasting crew among all of the New York-area sports teams. Think about the amazing stable of YES announcers from this past season—play-by-play geniuses Ian Eagle and Ryan Ruocco; expert analysts Sarah Kustok and Richard Jefferson; and multi-talented sideline reporter/utility man Michael Grady. Not only do all of them excel in the New York market; they have NATIONAL presences. Plus, I can vouch that they’re all wonderful people, generous with their time when I was a credentialed reporter/podcaster at WFAN, for which I will be eternally grateful.
Of course, this being the offseason of upheaval in Brooklyn (well, assuming the Kevin Durant saga reaches its inevitable conclusion at some point), the YES Network was bound to also lose a key piece. On Thursday, the Minnesota Timberwolves named Grady as their lead play-by-play television voice for the upcoming season.
Though there’s an element of sadness amongst Nets fans—they adored Grady, whose infectious smile can be seen in countless social media posts—the truth is that the career advancement was overdue. He had been filling in more than admirably on the occasions where both Eagle, whom Grady credited with assisting him with setting up a meticulous preparation system for play-by-play gigs, and Ruocco were away on higher-profile assignments.
Mostly, though, Grady was known for his interesting and witty interludes during Nets games. On many broadcasts, such third-wheel set-ups feel like intrusions to viewers. Not so with Grady, who has a reporter’s instincts to track down crucial information, the basketball knowledge to complement his cohorts, and the entertainment skills to make his segments enjoyable, such as the viral video of him matching sideline dance moves with bench mob leader Theo Pinson during that fun 2018-19 Nets run to the postseason. I should note here that a significant part of the entire YES crew’s success, which includes multiple Emmy Awards, can be attributed to producer Frank DiGraci, who runs a seamless ship during hectic broadcasts.
Grady began his career in the Indianapolis market, starting out as a radio producer and then rising to become an award-winning member of the Pacers TV broadcasting team. He moved to Brooklyn in 2017, in the midst of a stretch when the on-court show was dreadful. Kustok was promoted to lead analyst, a first for a woman in the NBA, while Grady took over the sideline duties.
It was soon clear that Grady was not going to be limited to that role, and his credits expanded. Besides stepping up wherever YES needed him (sometimes in the studio leading the pregame, halftime, and postgame shows), he co-hosted a basketball show on Sirius/XM Radio, drew sideline assignments for CBS’ NFL contests, and, most recently, called the 2022 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game alongside Kustok on Amazon. He was even given his own 10-episode run on the YES Network in 2021 called “Appreciate You,” where Grady interviewed various guests in-and-out of the sports universe.
Now that Grady is moving on, he should know this: Michael, Nets fans appreciated you.