G-Man tales: Gary Gerould’s first Kings gig was a tape-recorded audition tape
In the winter of 1985, Gary Gerould fielded a phone call that sent shivers down his back and changed his life.
It shaped a radio career that has marked Gerould as the most entertaining and beloved regional sports personality for the past 35 years. He is known as “G-Man.” His voice this rebooted NBA season has a temporary television twist as the Kings aim to last a while this summer in The Bubble in Orlando.
This broadcast path originated with that call from Kansas City. Gerould was asked if he would be interested in becoming the radio voice of the NBA Kings, once the franchise relocated from Kansas City to Sacramento for the start of the 1985-86. Is the sky blue? Is Bob Hope funny? How emphatic of a yes did they need to hear?
“I was totally flabbergasted,” Gerould recalled this week. “Out of the blue, that call from the Kings. Of course I’d do that!”
Gerould was tasked to do a mock broadcast of a Kansas City game in Los Angeles and then in Oakland, an audition of sorts since he had no prior NBA experience and had not done any basketball play-by-play in some 15 years. This venture included no headphones, no television monitors, no stats, no live audience. It felt like leaving a two-hour message on an answering machine.
Gerould was flanked by his 17-year-old son, Bobby. He fed his father stats and tidbits as the action unfolded. They pulled it off and laughed about it all the way home. They still laugh about it.
“We had a small tape recorder and that was it,” Gerould said. “It was pretty primitive. We had father-son bonding. Quite an adventure.”
Bobby said he talked clothes and cars with Kings players before and after the game, and some hoops. He said this week, “By the end of that weekend I was completely sold on the NBA.”
Joe Axelson was the Kings general manager then, a gregarious and portly fellow who listened to those tapes as he drove from Kansas City to Sacramento. He liked what he heard. Gerould got the job. In a business of change, Gerould has remained a fixed star, smooth, enthusiastic and informative, a master scene-setter.
“It was classic,” said Greg Van Dusen, the one-time Kansas City and Sacramento Kings front-office dynamo. “Joe was convinced Gary would fall flat. He was to calm, too low key, etc. But Gary was awesome. Gary is still beloved. Always and forever. Most of us would do anything for him.”
Gerould still cannot fathom his break, saying, “They wanted a local identity, and I guess they liked what they heard. I heard they had 100 candidates for that job, including a handful of guys already in the NBA who were looking to relocate to California. I was young enough and dumb enough then to make it work. I didn’t know the NBA game or the players, so it was a real education. My Lord, so much fun.”
New challenges in replacing Grant Napear
The fun continued through three Kings scrimmage games this summer.
Gerould worked the TV side of things during this venture, again joined by son Bobby, who has studied the NBA and the Kings as exhaustively as anyone and analyzes players on a website he created: hoopsobsession.com.
In an effort to best distance during the coronavirus pandemic, NBA broadcasters have called the NBA action in Orlando from afar — in the arenas of their home cities. So there was Bobby and Dad next to each other in the concourse of Golden 1 Center, son providing factoids on the fly, and Gerould working seamlessly with color man Doug Christie, the one-time Kings defensive star.
Those scrimmage broadcasts brought to mind the tape-recorder sessions in 1985: different, challenging, yet uniquely fun.
“Doug and I have a good rapport and he’s terrific,” Gerould said. “It’s a challenge doing a remote broadcast, but it’s NBA basketball and Kings basketball, and I love it.”
Gerould for the time being has replaced Grant Napear after he and the Kings parted ways in June after a social media storm regarding race. Gerould stepped in while Jason Ross assumed radio duties for flagship station Sports 1140 KHTK.
These are interim roles. Gerould is best suited doing radio. His contract expires at the end of September.
“The day the TV side asked me to take over for Grant, I told them that I am not filling his shoes because our broadcasting styles are completely different,” Gerould said. “But I’ll do my role the best of my ability. Grant’s given me his blessing. He texted me the other day in support.”
Gerould added about Napear, “I think Grant’s somewhat misunderstood. There’s a certain style he has, and maybe that hurt him (on social media).”
Gerould wants to return to the radio side of Kings broadcasting next season. He is 80 years old but defies aging. To listen to him on the phone and on the air is to be moved by his zest to live and work.
“I’d love to continue with the Kings, and I feel good and healthy,” Gerould said. “I look back at how this all started, with a tape recorded game with my son Bobby with me, and to realize 35 seasons would come and go from that initial foray blows me away. I had this marvelous opportunity and never dreamed of that kind of longevity.”
Sports director walked out at halftime
Gerould’s radio career started when he was a young teenager growing up in Midland, Michigan. He longed for something stable.
“My father died when I was 12, my mother was ill a lot and I was an only child,” Gerould said. “I would stop by this radio station every day and night to hang out, to learn about it, and I was hooked.”
One night, the sports director of the radio station was calling a high school basketball game in Midland and walked out at halftime.
“I don’t know if he went out for a smoke or a beer but he never came back,” Gerould said with a laugh. “I never heard the conclusion of that story. What happened to him? I wound up calling the rest of that game - no preparation, just a game program. Stone called the rest of that season.”
Gerould and wife Marlene had their first child, Beth, in 1963, and Bobby followed a few years later. Beth died of a long illness in March.
Gerould ended up in Northern California in 1963, thanks to more good timing and fortune. Gerould’s father-in-law, Vaughn Chesterman, did recorded lead-ins for religious programming for Chico radio station, KHSL. One day the program director came storming out of his office, eyed Chesterman - “a large, stoic man,” Gerould said - and bellowed, “Preacher! Get your son-in-law on the phone now! We have a job!”
“Two weeks later, Marlene, Beth and I are driving from Michigan to Chico,” Gerould said.
Gerould came to Sacramento in 1965 to work sports at KCRA, a role he held until 1977. He covered NFL games for NBC and covered motorsports for decades.
“I have enjoyed all of it,” Gerould said. “I feel so blessed.”
G-Man All-Time Kings 8-man rotation:
(in his words)
Mitch Richmond: “Six-time All-Star who led Kings in scoring each of his seven years in Sacramento. Always loved the fact that Michael Jordan said ‘The Rock’ was his toughest guy to go up against.”
Chris Webber: “A four-time All Star who oozed intensity and charisma. Like Wayman Tisdale, C-Webb had a smile that would light up the arena.”
Peja Stojakovic: “A three-time All Star who was absolutely deadly on deep perimeter. Not a popular choice among Kings fans when drafted by Geoff Petrie but quickly became a beloved King. Twice won 3-Point Shootout.”
Demarcus Cousins: “A three-time All-Star who could drive you batty with his constant on-court complaining, but he was an extraordinarily skilled double-double machine.”
Mike Bibby: “Loved the big stage and wanted the ball at crunch time.”
Off the bench:
Reggie Theus: “The glamour guy of the first Kings team in Sacramento who was deceptively tough. A top scorer in his three years in Sacramento, he sometimes drove his coaches nuts with a penchant to break plays.”
Vlade Divac: “Vlade was universally loved on the floor, in the locker room and in the community. A unifying presence who brought so much fun to the game.”
Bobby Jackson: “A Sixth Man of the Year award winner who brought legendary energy off the bench. A huge part of the Kings success when they were known as ‘The Greatest Show on Court.’ Always to be remembered for walking into Trump International Hotel in New York in his undies as part of a bet with teammate Divac.”
Bobby Gerould’s All-Time King 8-man rotation:
(in his words)
Reggie Theus: “The King of Confetti, the social spot of the mid-80’s in Sacramento, had one of the most productive seasons by a Kings guard. In 1985-86, Theus played all 82 games, averaging 18.3 points, and 9.6 assists.”
Mitch Richmond: “His success was not just about his skill and size. He made the Hall of Fame because he was willing to put in the work. In my time with the Kings, he was always the last to leave the gym.”
Peja Stojakovic: “As C-Webb always said, ‘The best shooter in the League.’ Peja’s season in 2003-04 was remarkable. He averaged 24.2 points per game and led the NBA in free throw percentage (92.7%).”
Chris Webber: “The best hands in Kings history. He had suction cups! He was a scorer with great vision that willingly shared. In 1999-00 he averaged 24.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists.”
DeMarcus Cousins: “He could score in so many ways. Best charge-taking big man in Kings history. Dominant rebounder.”
Off the bench:
Mike Bibby: “Tough. Big shot taker and big shot maker. Bibby is a guy I’d want on my side if I was in a jam. He played all 82 games in three different Kings’ seasons.”
Rodney McCray: “He doesn’t get enough love. In 1989-90, McCray played all 82 games, averaging 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. He willingly accepted the challenge to guard the opponents best player.”
Otis Thorpe: “The ball looked like a grapefruit in his hand. He averaged 20.8 points, and 10.2 rebounds per game in 1987-88. He was another player that didn’t miss games. He stayed in his lane.”