John Andariese, the beloved analyst who became synonymous with Knicks basketball both on television and radio across nearly 40 years in the booth, is suffering from advanced dementia, according to several people close to him.
His poor health was brought to light during ABC’s telecast of the Knicks-Warriors game Sunday afternoon, when play-by-play man Mike Breen, a longtime friend and colleague of Andariese at MSG Network, wished him well. Ex-Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, one of the analysts on the broadcast, echoed Breen’s sentiments.
With the Knicks in Orlando for a game against the Magic on Monday night, Breen spent part of the day visiting Andariese at his Florida home.