After quarter century, Frank DiGraci bids farewell to YES Network, but not Nets fans

He’s been grandmaster of the YES Truck and Nets-on-YES talent whisperer. The man behind the curtain. Now, Frank DiGraci is moving on from coordinating producer of YES to the same role for NBC’s NBA coverage. We’re honored he chose us to publish his farewell.

If you’ve watched Nets games on the YES Network, you know me. Ian and Sarah have given me three names: Producer Frank DiGraci.

The man behind the scenes that navigates each broadcast while leading an outstanding crew. Replays, sponsors, music, storylines all come from the Nets on YES truck as we hope to provide an entertaining and informative experience for you, the viewer. This past Sunday was my final game in the chair after 26 seasons of covering Nets basketball. I’m moving on to be the Coordinating Producer for the NBA on NBC. But before I go I’d like to share some memories.

I’ve produced over 1800 games during my time in New Jersey and Brooklyn. three stand out.

Game 5 vs Indiana May 2, 2002: The Greatest Game in Nets history. The electricity and intensity of a fourth quarter was felt right from the opening tip. Indiana was not a normal 8-seed in this win or go home matchup. It was tied at halftime, the end of the third, end of regulation and after the first overtime. We only had overtime because Reggie Miller tied it at the fourth quarter horn on a halfcourt shot that should not have counted. The game spurred a rule change as Steve Hellmuth from the NBA invented putting the LED lights around the backboard and the scorer’s table the next season. Then Miller ties it again with a dunk in OT. But Jason Kidd wills his team to a 120-109 victory in Double OT. A game that changed the direction of the franchise and spurred the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals runs.

Shootout vs Suns Dec. 7, 2006: This was the “7 seconds or less” run-and-gun Suns with Steve Nash in his prime. One night in December, the Nets decide to run with them. Two overtimes, 318 points, 34 lead changes, 21 ties and some classic moments. The Nets outscored the Suns 43-41 in the fourth quarter! Yet Steve Nash tied it with a three with 2.1 left in regulation. Kidd just missed winning it at the end of the first OT. Boris Diaw hit the game-winner with 14.1 left. The Suns won 161-157 in double overtime in a game that is still the Nets record for most points scored and most points allowed. Kidd had 38 pts, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. Nash 42 points and 13 assists. This also airs as a Classic on NBA TV every summer.

Harris halfcourt fling vs Sixers Feb. 23, 2009: 1.8 seconds left. Nets down one with no timeouts. Devin Harris makes a half-court, Hail Mary heave at the buzzer. The refs rule it no good. The replay center in Secaucus hadn’t been invented yet, so the referees would come to the table to talk to the home truck. After a two-and-a-half minute review, using the YES Network replays, we show it was good by 1/30^th of one second. The Nets erupt in joy with a 98-96 win. The Newark Star-Ledger headline read “The YES Network proved Harris got the shot off in time.” It was the first game in NBA History using instant replay to have a shot go from “no good” to “good!”

There have been plenty of memorable experiences:

• The excitement after the Stephon Marbury trade.
• I was the first person to meet Jason Kidd after his trade to the Nets. We were both at the Celebrity Golf Tournament in Lake Tahoe. Then I went to Oakland to interview his Mom. She said on and off camera, “You are going to win. Jason plays hard. EVERY night.” She knew!
• The excitement after the Vince Carter trade.
• Living through 12-70.
• Going to London for first ever NBA Regular Season games back in Europe in 2011. Going back in 2014.
• The entire process for the move to Brooklyn. Broadcasting the actual first game vs Toronto after Sandy postponed the scheduled opener vs the Knicks.
• Joe Johnson Buzzer-Beaters.
• The excitement of the summer of 2019.
• The NBA stopped on March 11, 2020 with us in San Francisco. The Bubble of 2020.
• Vince Carter Night

…and people:

Head Coaches (15): John Calipari, Don Casey, Byron Scott, Lawrence Frank, Kiki Vandeweghe, Avery Johnson, PJ Carlesimo, Jason Kidd, Lionel Hollins, Tony Brown, Kenny Atkinson, Jacque Vaughn, Steve Nash, Vaughn again, Kevin Ollie, Jordi Fernandez.

General Managers (4): John Nash, Rod Thorn, Billy King, Sean Marks.

…and plays:

Memorable Plays from great players:

• Stephon Marbury: 50-point game vs the Lakers.
• Jason Kidd: The volleyball tip pass to RJ and the circus shot over his head vs Chicago.
• Kenyon Martin: Blocks Dwyane Wade with two hands and catches the ball … plus any dunk from Kidd.
• Richard Jefferson: Game-winner vs Cleveland with 42 points plus the game-winning shot and defense in Game 6 vs Raptors in the playoffs.
• Vince Carter: Jam over Zo, reverse alley-oop at Orlando & his 2 buzzer beaters.
• Devin Harris: The Philly shot and 40-point game vs the Mavs as the crowd chants “Thank you, Cuban”.
• Joe Johnson: Double OT Buzzer beater vs Detroit. “That was real. And that was spectacular.”
• Deron Williams: 57-point game at Charlotte.
• Brook Lopez: Becoming Nets all-time leading scorer in his last game as a Net.
• Paul Pierce: Game 1 at Toronto in 2014 playoffs. “That’s why they got me here.”
• Kyrie Irving: 50-point game in his Nets debut. 60-point game in Orlando two days after being allowed to sit courtside at Barclays but not play because he was unvaccinated. And he watched Durant drop 53 on the Knicks!
• James Harden: Point guard vision we haven’t seen since Kidd. Shattering Nets records.
• Kevin Durant. Game 5 and Game 7 vs Milwaukee. 49 points in 48 minutes of Game 5. 48 points in 53 minutes of Game 7. And both toes on the line away from the Nets advancing.

In sports television, the Executives are like General Managers. They put the team together. The Talent are like the Players in that both have to perform. And the Producer is the Head Coach who’s job is to put the Talent in the best position to succeed. I am extremely proud of the men and women who have called our games, with many being national voices. I’ve worked with:

Play-by-Play: Ian Eagle, Mike Crispino, Spero Dedes, Marv Albert, Ryan Ruocco, Chris Carrino, Noah Eagle, Justin Shackil, Chris Shearn, Michael Kay & John Sterling (1 game each).

Analysts: Bill Raftery, Jim Spanarkel, Kelly Tripucka, Mark Jackson, Mike Fratello, Tim Capstraw, Greg Anthony, Donny Marshall, Sarah Kustok, Richard Jefferson, Vince Carter, Frank Isola, Kevin Loughery (1 game).

Reporters: Matt Loughlin, Mike Crispino, Leslie Boghosian, Michelle Beadle, Jessica Taff, Sarah Kustok, Michael Grady, Meghan Triplett, Chris Shearn, Andy Adler, Julianne Vianni-Braen.

Wacky Moments, Too:

• The charter plane won’t start on a cold/windy night in Milwaukee and John Calipari personally took food off the plane to bring back for everyone at the hotel.

*We were to trying to beat a blizzard going to Chicago early in the morning but while on the runway, the airport shuts down. Now the crew needs eight hours rest. The entire team and traveling party go back to the Meadowlands Sheraton for the day. When it’s time to leave, we can’t board because the driver locked his keys in the bus. He breaks a window, we get to the plane and finally take off at 11 p.m. We lost the day game the next day.

• The truck losing power and missing the first half of a game at Izod Center. It happened once at Barclays too.
• “Bloopers,” “sitters,” “wedgies” and “spillage.” Oh, we loved spillage. None better than Mason Plumlee in Washington and a gentle tap knocking over an entire tray of beer on the court.

Elements created: Bill Raftery’s “Onions” cartoon. Mark Jackson’s “You’re Better Than That”, :Where’s Michelle Beadle?,” “Spalding” the YES Network basketball, “Ask the Announcers,” “Wear Brooklyn At?” ”Who Am I?,” “Catching Up with Kustok,” “Pick and Poll,” “I Did Not Know That” (Michael Grady)

Through the years: We’ve gone from 1-inch tape machines to hard drives that continually record all the action. Slo-mo replays to Super Slo-Mo to YES-Mo. Standard Definition to High Definition. World Feeds and a whole season without traveling. 1,700 fans to end the 2021 regular season to 15,000 for Game 1 of the Vaccinated playoffs.

Then, there’s Ian

You know Ian Eagle as an amazing, extremely prepared and talented broadcaster who has been calling Nets games for 31 seasons. He doesn’t have one signature call. He has a library! “Big Finish,” “Rack Attack,” ”Book it,” “Imaginary Ladder,” the list is endless and always creative. He also says “Ricochet” once a game to test if the truck is listening! I’ve known him since the late 90’s and can tell you he is an even better man off the air. You will not find a more kind, generous, egoless person in this business. And funny. He is very funny! A mentor and a life coach for so many and someone you can count on no matter what.

The best night of my career was being able to celebrate this great man on Ian Eagle Night for his 25^th Anniversary. I won’t be producing Nets games with Bird any longer. But I know I have a friend for life.

The mantra he taught me and we worked on as a team all these years was to always focus on the basketball game first. Give the viewer at home insight and knowledge about their favorite team. Everything you needed to know about the Nets – on and off the court – you would get on our show. Then we sprinkle in some bits and humor to keep the viewer engaged. To create the feeling that you better not turn the channel because you don’t know what will happen next. And when it got tense, we could match the intensity and rise to the occasion with our storytelling. In the end, we were putting on a show while covering a game.

Thank you for watching. It’s been the ride of a lifetime.

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As we noted, It’s an honor to host Frank’s farewell. What he did for a quarter century and what he wrote about today should bring a smile or a tear … or both. So much of our collective memories as fans, as fathers and sons and mothers and daughters, as brothers and sisters, as friends was his work … “Did you see…?!?” Our appreciation of those who are so familiar to us now — both Eagles, Sarah, Ryan, RJ, Chris, Frank, and Vince, etc. etc. — is due to his skills as a recruiter, a mentor, an extraordinary producer … and ultimately as a friend.

Frank says he will be watching the Brooklyn Nets and when they appear on NBC Sports producing them. That will be Frank’s next great evening … and ours. Thank you. Frank.