SAN ANTONIO — Earlier this summer, after five decades in sports broadcasting, San Antonio Spurs play-by-play announcer Bill Land retired his headset.
The task of being "the voice of the team" has now been given to 27-year-old Jacob Tobey. It turns out his story goes hand in hand with what makes the Alamo City so special, and begins when he was 10 years old.
"I literally set my mind to it that I was gonna do this," Tobey said.
As a child growing up in Massachusetts, Tobey looked for every opportunity to provide the play-by-play to basketball unfolding in the world around him, from turning off the sound while playing the videogame "NBA 2K" to driveway pickup games with friends in high school.
"All that has led up to this," he says. "It's a dream come true; I'm so, so grateful to be here in this town."
Coming to San Antonio from Denver, where he was a weekend sports anchor at 9News for four years, Tobey says he's ready to "give 1,000% energy to being here, being invested in this team, the culture and the community."
For proof of his passion, one must simply look no further than his onstage exploits. Tobey also sports a music background, and is comfortable singing and playing guitar at community venues after picking up his first instrument at the age of 5. Amateur play-by-play calling for "NBA 2K" was still a few years away.
By 15, Tobey says, he was playing in bars and restaurants. As a matter of fact, once upon a time he thought his career might've taken on a more sharply musical tune.
"I thought I was gonna be John Mayer 2.0, I really, really did," he says. "I just decided to do sports instead. But I'll always have music as a secondary love of my life."
A member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts – also known as the People of the First Light – Tobey also takes pride in his Native American heritage.
It was just this summer, a few months before he was announced by the Spurs as Land's successor, that he received his Native American name, one fit for someone whose hard work has now led him to fulfill what he said was his childhood dream: Strong Oak.
And like a strong oak, Tobey plans to set deep roots in the Alamo City.
"This is not a pit stop for me. I want to be here for a long, long time," he said. "That energy and passion that was Jacob Tobey at 10 or 12 years old is alive and well right now."
Tobey has now teamed up with Spurs color commentator Sean Elliott for three games and counting. Fans can hear the duo next on Tuesday evening, when San Antonio travels to Miami for its first road matchup of the preseason. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. CT.