Career
Over his broadcast career, Sunderland has covered almost every major sport played in Southern California. He has been a studio host for the local affiliate of Fox Sports Net, was the analyst for professional beach volleyball on both FSN and National Broadcasting Company, and has called Olympic sports and the National Basketball Association for National Broadcasting Company. However, his most famous assignment was calling the Los Angeles Lakers telecasts on FSN. In January 2002, he took over as play-by-play announcer when Chick Hearn took a leave of absence due to a heart procedure. Hearn had called 3,338 consecutive Laker games, including playoffs.
Sunderland called 17 games until Hearn returned.
When Hearn died in August 2002, Sunderland returned to the Lakers, this time for good, paired with Stu Lantz. In the 2002-2003 season, the team retained the simulcasts that began under Hearn"s tenure.
The following year, the Lakers split the broadcasts and Sunderland and Lantz called games only for television (FSN and KCAL-television). In the summer of 2005, Sunderland was released by the Lakers and replaced by Joel Meyers.
Sunderland continued to do the Southern California Sports Report, but FSN West cancelled the show at the end of 2005.
He called college basketball games for Fox Sports Net until 2012 when he joined the Pac-12 Network as their college basketball announcer. Sunderland served as the play-by-play announcer for National Broadcasting Company Sports coverage of indoor volleyball at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. He has also covered various events for Universal Sports, including track and field"s Diamond League.