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Saturday, August 3 Updated: August 4, 6:14 PM ET Voice of Lakers remains critical after surgery Associated Press |
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LOS ANGELES -- Longtime Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn was in critical condition Sunday, one day after undergoing two operations for a head injury.
"There's no change,'' Northridge Hospital Medical Center spokeswoman Kate Preston said. The 85-year-old Hearn was sedated and doctors were monitoring his condition, according to Preston.
Hearn's neurosurgeon, Dr. Asher Taban, said the broadcaster's prognosis was "not good,'' and said it was "probable'' that he had called his last Lakers game.
Hearn remained sedated and doctors were monitoring his condition. They didn't anticipate the need to perform any further surgeries, but planned to test his neurological condition Monday, Preston said.
Hearn was taken to the hospital Friday after hitting the back of his head in fall at his San Fernando Valley home.
When Hearn arrived at the hospital, doctors found a hemorrhage inside his cranium, on top of the brain. He underwent surgery and his condition appeared more stable.
On Saturday morning, his neurological condition began to deteriorate and another blood clot was found, this one inside the brain. Hearn then underwent a second operation.
"If he has a full recovery in terms of his motor functions he will very likely have speech difficulty,'' Taban said.
Lakers owner Jerry Buss said in a statement that "the hopes and prayers of the Buss family and the entire Laker family are for Chick and Marge and (granddaughter) Shannon. We know that we are only a few among the countless who love Chick and are praying for him now.''
The voice of the Lakers since the team moved to Los Angeles four decades ago, Hearn is credited with adding such signature phrases as "slam dunk'' and "air ball'' to the NBA lexicon.
He called a record 3,338 consecutive Lakers games over 36 years, but saw his streak end last season when he had to undergo heart surgery to repair a blocked aortic valve. The broadcaster suffered a further setback when he fell during rehabilitation and broke a hip. Still, Hearn was able to return to the Lakers in time to broadcast the team's run through the playoffs to its third consecutive NBA championship.
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