Bold statement: A public address announcer isn’t just a voice on game night—he’s shaping lives and leading with purpose. And this is where Kyle Speller’s story stands out. But here’s where it gets controversial: should a sports figure also be a community mentor, a faith-guided counselor, and a school coach all at once? Speller’s answer is yes, and his example raises important questions about the role of public personalities beyond their primary gigs.
By Tori Mason
Reporter
Your Reporter Tori Mason covers Aurora. Share story ideas at yourreporter@cbs.com.
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February 20, 2026 / 10:00 PM MST / CBS Colorado
This Black History Month, CBS Colorado is Elevating Black Voices—and Kyle Speller’s is among the most recognizable in the state. Not only for his unmistakable voice but for how he uses it even when the arena lights are off.
If you’ve attended a Nuggets game at Ball Arena in Denver, you know the cadence: the booming introductions, the call-and-response chants, and the iconic: LET’S GOOOOO!
For Speller, the Nuggets public address announcer, the microphone is only one piece of his mission.
“I wear multiple hats,” Speller says. “I’m also an associate pastor. By day, I’m a middle school guidance counselor. I serve as the school’s athletic director. I’m a boys basketball assistant coach, a girls basketball head coach. I’m constantly pouring into people.”
Speller emphasizes that his path didn’t begin in professional sports. It started in ministry.
“I always say it was all God,” he explains. “I was part of a basketball team—part of a prison ministry basketball team.”
He began doing player introductions before he realized he was quietly rehearsing for a role that would later define him.
Then the Nuggets held an open call.
“The assignment was, ‘If you were the public address announcer for the Nuggets, how would you do it? Please send us your rendition of the player introductions,’” he recalls.
Speller recorded his submission in minutes at the Comcast Media Center in Littleton. It was mailed on a CD.
“They said mine was the only one they liked,” he says. “They brought me in, and I’ve been here ever since.”
Now in his 21st season, Speller is the first Black public address announcer for a major professional sports team in Colorado.
“I wasn’t even thinking about it,” he says. “I was just excited to be here. It didn’t hit me until years later.”
Speller’s arena voice is instantly recognizable, yet he believes his most authentic tone shows up in everyday moments, especially when guiding young people.
“I’m always trying to speak to their future self,” he notes. “I want to leave the world better than I found it.”
That mindset is deeply rooted in legacy—even when the immediate results aren’t visible.
“I may not see the fruits of my labor. That’s not up to me,” he says. “But my job is to do the job when opportunities arise.”
As a counselor and coach, Speller often meets students who feel unheard or doubt whether their voices matter.
He wants them to understand they don’t need to become someone else to be impactful. They simply need to be themselves.
“We don’t need another Nikola. We don’t need another Jamal,” he says, referencing Denver stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. “We need you, whoever you are. You’re uniquely designed, and you have a purpose.”
Speller credits the presence of Black leaders in his life with shaping who he is—from the way someone dressed to how they led a room and treated people at every level.
“It is incredibly important,” he explains, describing why it matters for young Black kids to see people who look like them in visible roles. “That was invaluable for me. I know it’s invaluable for our young people as well.”
Off the court, he serves as the team chaplain, guided by faith.
“Everything I do is really for an audience of one,” he reflects. “The only person I’m truly trying to impress is my heavenly Father.”
Even with a commanding arena voice, Speller admits pregame jitters before every game.
“I have an outgoing personality, but I am shy at heart,” he laughs. “If I’m in a room with unfamiliar faces, I’ll hang back in the corner.”
Whether announcing at Ball Arena, engaging with the community, or mentoring students, Speller’s overarching goal remains constant: leave it better than you found it and make an impact.
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