Hum Diddly Dee: NBA Twitter’s Favorite Play-by-Play Announcer

Nothing beats a full slate of NBA games on a weeknight and a remote control in-hand. League Pass gives fans the ability to flip through several games at once, and even choose which team’s local broadcast they’d like to watch.

RELATED: Hum Diddly Dee T-Shirt

With the rise of an exciting, young core led by emerging superstar LaMelo Ball, the Charlotte Hornets became a favorite League Pass watch across NBA Twitter the last two seasons.

It’s not just the clutch baskets from Terry Rozier or Miles Bridges’ delightfully violent dunks that have fans locked in on the Hornets’ broadcast: they’ve also got their volume on full blast.

Eric Collins took over play-by-play duties from Steve Martin in 2015. With Charlotte making the playoffs only once during his tenure, national NBA fans haven’t spent a lot of time locked in on Hornets games. Interest has peaked exponentially this year, and Collins has become a smash hit on NBA Twitter.

His energy and excitement is impossible to miss, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg – we haven’t even talked about his legendary one-liners yet. My personal top five favorite “Collinsisms” are as follows:

5. “Tougher than walrus gristle”

I’m not exactly sure how tough walrus gristle is, but Miles Bridges is at least slightly tougher.

4. “With gravel in his guts and spit in his eyes”

Most people would say “nice finish”, or “tough layup”, but Eric Collins is certainly not most people.

3. “Tougher than putting socks on a rooster”

As somebody that has put socks on a several roosters, I can confirm this is true.

2. “Hotter than a pepper sprout”

I can’t say I’ve ever heard another NBA announcer reference Johnny and June. Touché, Collins.

1. “Good things happen when you’re nice to your momma!”

Shoutout to moms all over the world. Good things definitely do happen when you’re nice to your momma.

Honorable mentions:

“Like a Rented Mule”, “More moves in the paint than Picasso”, “Hotter than Amarillo in August”, “Guts of a cat burglar”, “Quicker than a Hiccup”, and “Stronger than ten rows of onions”.

Collins’ catchphrase bug has been caught by his partner Dell Curry, who has been known to break out “holding on like a cat on a screen door” from time to time.

What Does Hum Diddly Dee Mean?

Eric Collins’ favorite catchphrase, Hum Diddly Dee, is a reference to lyrics in the song “We Got Our Own Thang” by 90’s hip hop group Heavy D and the Boyz. In a December 2021 episode of The Lowe Post podcast, Collins explained that his “Hum Diddly Dee” catchphrase was something he’d often say with friends, and it was first broken out in a broadcast in response to a Jeremy Lamb buzzer beater.

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From the energy he brings to the broadcast to the brilliant catchphrases, it’s no surprise that NBA Twitter has finally caught on to Eric’s greatness. Fox Sports (soon to be Bally Sports) might want to consider a raise if they don’t want to lose their lead guy to Turner or ESPN.