Paul Sunderland wouldn’t describe it as a rebound, a rebrand or a reinvention of himself since his time calling Lakers games.
Reinvigorated might be closer to the truth.
In addition to a steady stream of local college basketball games for Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket, Sunderland has anchored himself over the past few years at NBC’s Universal Sports network, the Westlake Village-based portal for year-round Olympic event coverage.
On any given week, he could be in a studio talking World Cup skiing, Diamond League track and field, gymnastics, speed skating, diving, ski jumping, figure skating, swimming …
“They say variety is the spice of life, and I’ve had an incredible amount of variety,” Sunderland said the other day, hours before he’d describe a USC-Utah basketball game from the Galen Center. “You do an event for Universal, you know you’re covering the best the world has to offer. It’s never two middle-of-the-road NBA teams.”
There was no real middle ground 10 years ago when the Lakers asked him about his availability to replace Chick Hearn. You either run and hide, or answer the call.
Hearn would end up missing more than half the 2001-02 season because of heart surgery. Sunderland, who had been doing the team’s pre- and post-game shows, filled the voice starting in December 2001, saying at the time that he had the best temp job in town.
When Hearn died at age 85 after a fall at his Encino home in the summer of 2002, Sunderland was the logical choice to carry on with Stu Lantz. Sunderland went through the transition of a simulcast format to a straight TV call. The team had its ups and downs. But for someone who grew up idolizing Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Sunderland had the dream job.
That is, until the summer of 2005. The Lakers, amid a lot of turmoil on and off the court, decided not to renew his contract.
Sunderland had other broadcasting work to fill the void, but just not what he had envisioned.
“I love calling basketball – it’s my best sport – but this was never a job I ever pined for or thought I’d ever get,” said Sunderland, who had done NBA and WNBA games for NBC as well as college games for ESPN.
“I didn’t like the circumstances in which it fell to me, but you can’t do anything about that. I just remember my times with the Lakers really fondly. I think I did a really good job.
“Dwelling on how it ended – that’s a waste of time. Do you wish it might have turned out differently? Well, of course. Do I wish I had done some things differently while I was there? You bet. Did I learn a lot from it? Definitely. But it was very painful.
“I try to teach my kids: When things are going well, anyone can handle that. If you get knocked down, you better get ready to move on. I’m proud of the way I’ve moved on.”
Sunderland says he keeps tabs on all broadcasting jobs that may come up, including NBA opportunities, but “those are about a rare as a snowstorm in Malibu,” said the Malibu resident. With his experience and diversity, he could be in line for work at the new Pac-12 Network, particularly with all the Olympic sports it plans to cover.
Working for Universal has been what Sunderland calls the “linchpin” to his career now.
“When you work for an NBA team, that’s what you do, 24/7, you’re so immersed,” he said. “But now I’m a cobbler, a shoemaker. It’s a lot of work. But I love working.”
David Michaels, Universal’s executive producer and head of programming, produced AVP beach volleyball events for NBC some 15 years ago, where he had Sunderland on the call with Chris Marlowe.
“I’ve always been a big fan of his – Paul is an amazing character, someone who brings passion to a broadcast on every level,” Michaels said. “He’s not `just a volleyball guy’ I found out quickly.
“A lot of play-by-play guys will come in, take an assignment here, and want to be handed a lot of material. Paul is already fully prepared, having done his own research. We only give him material that adds to what he already knows. We can use him for anything.
“As someone who has been an analyst, Paul isn’t one of those play-by-play guys who makes everything all about him. He has the good sense to know how to get the analyst in there.”
Sunderland’s background in international competition comes from his Olympic volleyball career. An all-around athlete at Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks, the 6-foot-6 standout also played basketball and volleyball at Loyola Marymount and the University of Oregon.
When NBC heads to London for the Summer Olympics, he’ll be back to focus on calling men’s and women’s indoor volleyball. These will be the eighth Olympic Games with which Sunderland has been involved.
Still, Sunderland said he can walk into a Starbucks today, and someone will invariably ask him about the Lakers, a role he’ll always somehow be connected with.
“I had a wonderful time with them, but that’s just how it works,” said Sunderland, who turns 60 in March. “Everything since then has been very positive.
“The one thing I’ve tried to do in my career is keep things simple, and don’t overthink it. Maybe I didn’t do a good job of that when I was with the Lakers. There was a lot to think about, and nothing was simple. But I take responsibility for that, irrespective of everything else. If I did a better job, I’d still be there. That’s the competitive nature in me, from being an athlete.
“But since then, I’ve had time to see my kids grow up. I’ve seen my schedule full again. I had a really good 2011 and the prospects of going forward seem good as well. I’m really feeling quite good about everything.”
Read more at the Los Angeles Daily News where this story was originally published.
