Donny Marshall is a basketball legend in Federal Way. And now, Marshall is trying to become a legend with the most legendary franchise in the National Basketball Association — the 17-time world champion Boston Celtics. But he’s not doing it on the basketball court. Marshall is doing it from behind a microphone.
Marshall is currently working as a color analyst courtside with play-by-play man Mike Gormon on Celtics’ television broadcasts on the road this season on Comcast SportsNet in Boston. He will also be the in-studio analyst with host Gary Tanguay during the pregame, halftime, and postgame broadcasts while the Celtics are at home. Tommy Heinsohn works as the color analyst with Gorman during Boston home games.
“I love being around the game,” Marshall told the Boston Globe. “It’s great to be able to be in a studio, seeing how it works, seeing the behind-the-scenes (aspect), and coming across on people’s TV sets from the studio. I let my personality come out a little bit more. Also, being at the games, being right on the court, I get to see a lot of my old friends who I played against and played with. I’m around the team a lot, continuing to cultivate that relationship that I think teams have to have with their broadcast teams.”
Marshall joined the Celtics broadcast team during the 2005-06 season after a six-year career as a small forward in the NBA. Marshall’s professional career included stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Jersey Nets. The 6-foot-7 Marshall was the 39th overall pick of Cleveland in the 1995 NBA Draft after a stellar career at the University of Connecticut.
Marshall was a steady contributor for coach Jim Calhoun at UConn from 1991-94. He shot 47 percent in 121 career games for the Huskies and averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Marshall was one of the top recruits in the state after his senior year at Federal Way High School. Marshall led the Eagles to back-to-back state tournaments in 1990 and ‘91. Federal Way finished sixth in the 1990 tournament after losing to Garfield in the semifinals and ended up seventh the next year. He still holds the Class 4A record for steals in a state tournament with 17 in 1991.
Marshall said he has had no problems making the transition from player to broadcaster. He said as close as he is to the day-to-day workings of the Boston Celtics, he can’t be as close as he would be as a player.
“The only area for me where I had to distance myself was when we would get to a city and Ray Allen would call me to go eat dinner with a couple of the guys,” said Marshall. “Ray and I have known each other for a long time. I met him when he was 16 (on a recruiting trip to UConn). We have a lot of things in common. That was the most difficult thing, saying I was media and he was player and he should have his own identity with his teammates. As far as on the air, though, not at all.”
Marshall traveled quite a bit last season during the Celtics’ NBA championship season, taking the longer journeys while Heinsohn, the longtime color commentator for the team, had the shorter trips. He said his schedule is a little more predictable now.
“On paper, my role has changed, but technically it’s not much different than last year,” said Marshall. “I’ll probably do eight more games than last year. I have a more scheduled plan this year. I know in advance from the beginning of the season.”
