Whatever Happened To... Bert Bondi, Class of ‘95 a police officer in Florida. He is also in contact with Steve Teodecki, who lives in Texas.
Alumni from the ‘90s who follow the NBA may have heard Bert Bondi’s name mentioned at the end of TNT and TBS broadcasts. Bondi, a 20-year veteran of TNT productions, is now a lead producer for NBA broadcasts, responsible for pre-and post-game content, as well as halftime and highlight shows. Bondi, who played football, basketball, and baseball at De La Salle, attended Columbia University, where he majored in history while playing Ivy League football for the Columbia Lions.
“The athletic achievements of the teams I played on really stand out,” Bondi said. “Our football victory against Cass Tech in the ‘94 playoffs under Coach MacDonald. Our run to the Elite 8 in basketball with Coach Esler in ‘95, and of course winning the baseball state championship in ‘93 with Coach Kelly.” Bert Bondi ‘95
Shortly after college graduation, Bondi headed to Atlanta and joined TNT. “During college, I knew I wanted to get into some sort of sports broadcasting,” Bondi said. “I did some radio work at Columbia.” At TNT, Bondi has worked his way up to producer, spending time along the way as a production assistant, researching stats, and as an assistant director. For several years, his job involved travel, but with family, Bondi has been able to stay close to home most of the time. As the producer, Bondi is the “boss.” He is responsible for content, figuring out storylines, deciding on graphics and video clips, and having a “game plan” for the broadcast. Approximately 8-10 hours of prep go into a typical pregame show, as well as approximately 25 production and technical crew members for NBA TV games. Bondi has fond memories of De La Salle, citing Brother Tom Lackey as his favorite teacher, along with Tony DeSantis, Vicki Granger and Dave Kirck. Bondi says the history lectures from Bro. Tom and Mike Karas had a profound effect on his choice of history as his college major. Bondi remains close friends with classmates Greg Peterson, who lives in metro Detroit, and Jeremy Krzysiak,
“Bert Bondi epitomized what a student athlete was while attending De La Salle,” Greg Esler said. “He was a leader who had an incredible work ethic, great talent, and the respect and trust of his teammates and coaches. Plus, he got the job done in the classroom.” Bondi is also in the Catholic League Hall of Fame, one of only 28 De La Salle alumni enshrined in the group. Bondi met his wife Megan, an Ohio native who graduated from the University of Georgia, at TNT where she was working in the public relations department. They married in 2008, and now have three children. Bondi’s oldest child, Matt, recently attended the basketball camp at De La Salle while the family vacationed in Michigan. During the camp, Scott Grimmer, a De La Salle physical education teacher, spent time with Bondi, and offered this praise. “I coached him in freshman football and varsity baseball. I think he’s the epitome of the type of young man you want representing De La Salle. He was a great teammate, dedicated, personable. I never witnessed him getting down on a teammate for making a mistake. He was always positive. I’ve kept in contact with him. It’s a blessing and treasure to know Bert as a person.” Bondi’s younger brother Chris (‘98), lives in Northern Ireland where he works in human resources. He has two children.
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