![]() ![]() It’s hectic on this Monday evening because it’s “Bruce Lee Night,” and the daughter of the martial arts icon, Shannon Lee, is in the house for the occasion. “These are just props,” he said of the stack. He later would ignore every single card because he commits them to memory with preternatural ease. Finn comes equipped with a clipboard and a healthy stack of index cards filled out with mini-scripts for each of his promotional announcements. Finn’s night starts with a production meeting with 10 or so other members of the so-called Dub Squad. In this job, the kinetic pace is a plus, even three hours before tipoff. He walks as if leading a fast break and talks as if he has amps for lungs. 6.įinn’s over-the-top energy is not an act. (Courtesy Franco Finn)Īctor Vin Diesel will handle the player intros for the All-Star Game on Sunday, but if they need an idea for yet another sequel to the “Fast & Furious” collection, they could just follow Finn around for a night, as The Athletic did before the Warriors’ game against Oklahoma City on Feb. ![]() He knows there are fans in Asia who will watch the NBA All-Star festivities in part because of his groundbreaking appearance.įranco Finn with his mother, Angeles, who became a Warriors fan around the time of the team’s 1975 NBA title. Parents send Finn videos of their children mimicking his starting-lineup theatrics. The stepfather who helped raise him, the late George Finn, was Irish. Finn, 46, knows from experience that people across the globe watch Warriors basketball on NBA League Pass, and he gets emails from fans in the Philippines. “I wear that proudly, and I wear that on my sleeve,” Finn said.įinn’s mother, Angeles Lucente, is from the Philippines. Finn feels this moment for his fellow Filipino Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. It’s enough to make even a hype man take a few extra seconds to find the right words. Longtime Warriors hype man Franco Finn was selected to serve as the in-game emcee for some of the All-Star action this weekend. The son of Filipino immigrants will serve as the in-arena emcee for the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday and All-Star Saturday Night featuring the slam-dunk contest, 3-point showdown and skills challenge. He’s the first Asian American to be tapped for the role. The NBA is giving him a shout-out.įinn was selected for All-Star duty in Salt Lake City, an honor he’s been craving for years in part because of the poignant footnote that comes with it. ![]() This weekend, though, the roles are reversed. He’s the guy the Warriors count on to bring more cowbell. His official duties for home games include belting out pregame announcements, bellowing starting lineups and beseeching 18,000 fans to make noise. Because for two decades, the Alaska Airlines employee by day has been the Warriors’ sultan of shout by night. If he really wanted to blow his cover, he could … just talk louder. “Someone from another aisle will turn and say, ‘Oh, my God! I knew it was you!'” Franco said. ![]()
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