Rookie of the Year

It was just minutes before tip-off of an October preseason game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder when Jacob Tobey, BS’18, settled into his center courtside seat at the Frost Bank Center, home of the Spurs.

The roar of the crowd intensified, but Tobey didn’t let it faze him. He was locked in, ready to absorb every second of what was about to unfold: his NBA debut as the Spurs’ new television play-by-play announcer.

“I wasn’t really nervous at all,” says Tobey—at 27, one of the youngest announcers in the NBA, and believed to be the first Native American to do play-by-play at this level. “It felt so right and normal for me. I just kept thinking about how my biggest dream was becoming a reality.”

A student of the game

A member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, Tobey grew up in Sandwich, Massachusetts, where his initial dream was to play in the NBA, although he gradually realized “that wasn’t going to happen.” At age 12, he found a new dream while watching legendary Celtics announcer Mike Gorman do TV play-by-play coverage from the broadcast booth.

“That’s when I knew what I wanted to do with my life,” he says.

Tobey entered Suffolk as a broadcast journalism major and immediately set about honing his skills. He called play-by-play for the men’s and women’s basketball and soccer games. He anchored the Suffolk Sports Report at Studio 73 and hosted a sports talk show on WSFR, the student radio station. He also worked as a news reporter with Suffolk in the City and its partnership with New England Cable News.

Suffolk gave him the opportunity to “learn every aspect of the broadcast business, from how the equipment works to how to produce a show and be on air,” he says. “It helped prepare me for where I am today.”

Jerry Glendye, director of the College of Arts & Sciences’ broadcast facilities, remembers Tobey as “a go-getter right from the start,” as well as “a great on-air personality who commanded the screen. He made himself relevant, always creating new programs and starring in them. He’s also a very humble and likable guy.”

Tobey held internships with 98.5 The Sports Hub on New England Patriots’ radio broadcasts, and for CLNS Media, where he covered the Boston Celtics. He loved being around the TD Garden and attended every home game, chatting up members of the Celtics organization and studying the ins-and-outs of pro ball up close.

Working his way up to the big leagues

Following graduation, Tobey served as a weekend sports anchor at KJRH-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma and at 9NEWS in Denver, Colorado. He covered the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. He also worked as a TV play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports and the PAC-12 college basketball network.

The Spurs initially contacted Tobey in March 2024, when they flew him out to do play-by-play for a few games with the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s NBA G-League affiliate. In August, the Spurs brought him back for interviews after longtime play-by-play man Bill Land announced his retirement. One month later, Tobey was officially hired, joining former Spurs star Sean Elliott in the broadcast booth. He packed his bags and moved to San Antonio in October.

According to Mike Kickirillo, senior director of broadcasting for the San Antonio Spurs for 35 years, the best play-by-play announcers “can lead a conversation and also be good listeners. You have to know when to speak and then set up your partner and get out of the way. Jacob is a perfect fit because he knows how to do all of that and more.

“He carries himself like a professional and is a good representative of our organization because it’s all about selflessness. As the team grows, Jacob is going to grow with them.”

On home game days, Tobey watches film and compiles notes on the opposing team before heading to work. Once there, he watches the players warm up, collecting tidbits he will use during the game’s telecast. He attends the pregame press conferences for both head coaches, then confers with his producer to go over specific details for the broadcast.

Tobey considers himself incredibly lucky to be covering Spurs center and NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama on a daily basis. The 7-foot-3-inch, 21-year-old from France—the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft as well as the 2024 Rookie of the year—has taken the league by storm.

“To watch a generational talent up close is breathtaking,” says Tobey. “He does three to five things every night you’ve never seen before.”

Tobey returns to Suffolk and Boston soon to speak with students in Professor Skip Perham’s Business of Sports class on February 11, and then announce the Spurs-Celtics game the following night.

Tobey’s advice for students? “Never take no for an answer,” he says. “I had a couple of interviews for other NBA play-by-play jobs that I didn’t get, but that didn’t stop me from reaching my dream. If you want to be a good on-air announcer, you have to be open to learn everything—how to write, produce, shoot video. You need to understand the whole production crew to be successful.”