Tom Tolbert, the former Warriors player who became a Bay Area afternoon sports-talk radio staple for nearly three decades, and popular mid-day co-host John Lund are out at KNBR.
Tolbert was fired by the sports station on Wednesday shortly before the start of his regularly scheduled slot 2-6 p.m. slot with Adam Copeland and did not appear on the air. The station didn’t announce the reason for their absence, though SFGATE reported that Tolbert will be back on the air Thursday for a final show.
Barrett Media was first to report on Tolbert and Lund’s departure. Producer Danny Dunn was also let go by KNBR.
Requests for comment to Tolbert and KNBR program director Mike Hohler were not immediately returned.
Tolbert, 59, is a Southern California native who played college basketball at Arizona under Lute Olson and was a teammate of Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Tolbert played seven seasons in the NBA, including three (1989-92) with the Warriors. He retired after playing the 1994-95 season with the Chicago Bulls and a year later was hired by KNBR. During his radio career he’s also worked on Warriors broadcasts as well as handling NBA analyst duties on local and national TV.
For the first 15 years at KNBR, Tolbert was teamed with station heavyweight Ralph Barbieri to form the “The Razor and Mr. T” afternoon drive-time show. Since Barbieri’s departure in 2012, Tolbert’s co-hosts included Lund, Rod Brooks, Ray Ratto, Larry Krueger and Copeland.
“Another blow to radio. So sorry to share this. Tolbert is a legend who I always admired. “Razor & Mr T” were part of the fabric of SF radio. Just sad times for the industry,” former KNBR host Damon Bruce wrote on the social media platform X.
Lund was co-hosting the popular “Papa and Lund Show” with Greg Papa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The departures of Tolbert and Lund come nearly a year after KNBR made a series of on-and off-air moves, including letting go of longtime morning co-host Paul McCaffrey and evening host F.P. Santangelo. Bruce was let go in March of 2022.
Justice delos Santos contributed to this report.
