When Noah Eagle opted to join the family business, the comparisons to his father were unavoidable.
But rather than run from them, Noah is leaning into them. Andrew Marchand of the The New York Post reports that the 25-year-old play-by-play man will join the Brooklyn Nets’ YES Network television broadcast team for select games during the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season.
According to Marchand, Eagle’s father Ian and Ryan Ruocco will still be on the call for most of the Nets’ games. Noah is expected to call approximately 10 games, give or take. Ian Eagle is entering his 30th season calling Nets games, including the last 29 on television following a year of calling the team’s games on radio.
As Marchand noted, the move is reminiscent of Joe Buck following his father, Jack Buck, into the St. Louis Cardinals’ broadcast booth and Kenny Albert following his father, Marv Albert, with the New York Knicks and Rangers. Over the course of his career, Ian Eagle has becoming one of the most recognizable voices in sports—thanks in part to his sense of humor—with his current responsibilities including NFL games on Sundays for CBS, the Thursday Night Football radio broadcast for Westwood One, weekly nationally televised NBA games (including the playoffs) for TNT and the Final Four for CBS. Earlier this year, he was named the National Sportscaster of the Year.
Considering Ian’s heavy workload, the need for a regular replacement was a natural one. Noah, for his part, has been nothing short of busy himself, with responsibilities including Big Ten Saturday Night and the Super Bowl as part of the SpongeBob Slime Time alternate cast. Having also previously called 3×3 basketball for NBC during the 2020 Summer Olympics, Noah spent the previous four seasons as the Los Angeles Clippers’ radio play-by-play announcer.
Noah Eagle is scheduled to make his Nets debut on Saturday, Dec. 2 when Brooklyn hosts the Orlando Magic.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.