For over 30 years, Vic Lombardi has been a staple in sports media. Between his days as a sports anchor and his time covering the Denver Nuggets at Altitude Sports, Lombardi has seen it all.
From locker room interviews to radio shows, and from hot takes to breaking news, Lombardi has accomplished just about everything there is to accomplish. His hard work and dedication even earned him a spot in the Heartland Emmy Silver Circle.
Yet before all that, he was just a kid who loved sports.
Vic Lombardi Begins to Love Sports
As a son of immigrants living in Denver, Vic Lombardi spoke nothing but Italian until about the age of seven. However, through playing and watching sports, Lombardi both found his passion and a way to integrate into American society. “I learned the culture through sports, and sports were my true love,” he told The Lead.
Lombardi admitted that learning English was one of his biggest challenges — those born speaking the language seemed to have the upper hand. However, he also acknowledged how he benefited from his heritage, how not being brought up “the normal American way” made him unique, and that “people like unique.”
Lombardi leveraged his love of sports into a career in sports media. Starting off in local news, he was tasked with covering all kinds of sports.
He hustled, spending over 20 years working as a sports anchor in cities like South Bend, Austin, Phoenix, and finally his hometown of Denver. Then, in 2016, his hard work paid off when he accepted a job covering his beloved Denver Nuggets for Altitude Sports.
Lombardi at Altitude
For Altitude, Lombardi handles the pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows as well as their sports radio show. Though he loves what he does, Lombardi acknowledges the significant change going from a news anchor to a sports reporter.
“You’re always on, and what makes you always on is digital media,” Lombardi explained. His job for Altitude requires him to always have some sort of content ready to go, a sharp turn from his previous nightly scheduled news shows. The days of people waiting for news to be given to them are seemingly over, as “you have to be more aggressive in getting that information to them.”
However, with the challenges of this new job also come some incredible moments.
Reflecting upon his career, Lombardi reminisced about being able to cover multiple Denver championships. Though he was ecstatic to report on the Broncos’ Super Bowl victory in 2016, he highlighted the 2023 Nuggets championship as his favorite moment of his career.
Specifically, he recalled the plane ride after defeating the Lakers in the conference finals. “That plane ride home is something that will live with me forever because there was so much fun, glory, and jubilation,” he explained.
Lombardi may never have been able to experience such iconic moments in his career had it not been for the advice he received along the way.
Vic Lombardi Learns From Others
Throughout his career, Vic Lombardi has always found ways to learn from every experience. Lombardi mentioned how his mentor, Colorado legend Les Shapiro, taught him the importance of genuine human interaction within media.
He also cited his times in Phoenix, Austin, and South Bend as opportunities where he learned how to become independently creative. He quoted the wise words of iconic Denver sports anchor Ron Zappolo, who told him, “Don’t try to be someone else. Just be who you are.”
Lombardi explained that he’s lived by those words, and that throughout his career he’s been true to himself. As he put it, “As soon as you’re comfortable being who you are, and you don’t care about the riffraff or what they think of you, is when you really start to shine and get confidence.”
Furthermore, given all that he’s learned, it is no surprise that he has plenty of advice to offer to the next generation of sports media personalities.
Others Learn From Vic Lombardi
In this day and age, sports media is not what it used to be.
In years past, if somebody wanted to put together content in sports media, they would need to get a job. However, nowadays, with technology and social media being what they are, that is no longer the case. Lombardi emphasized how there have never been more opportunities to create. Between TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and the like, anyone can create content and achieve success on their own. “I have one edict that I live by,” Lombardi said. “Talent is found.”
Lombardi has certainly capitalized on his own advice. He has created all sorts of media throughout his career, which was evident in his shift from television anchor to Denver Nuggets reporter. No Vic Lombardi interview would be complete without his thoughts on the team.
Lombardi’s Nuggets Insight
Before diving into his thoughts on the actual Denver Nuggets roster, Lombardi shared his experiences from the yearly staff versus media game.
Unsurprisingly, the Denver coaches obliterated the media members. He laughed about some of the media members’ inability to play the game, given the irony of basketball being central to their lives. When asked about his own performance, Lombardi joked, “I’m old and slow…but I scored the first bucket of the game,” so he was overall satisfied with his performance.
Despite his disappointment in the media’s performance, he remains confident in the Nuggets themselves. When asked about their chances to win the title this year, Lombardi decisively affirmed that they were “as good as any.”
He marveled over the team’s talent and Nikola Jokic’s new backup, Jonas Valanciunas. Additionally, the signings of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. provide needed reinforcements to Denver’s bench, while Lombardi mentioned Julian Strawther as a potential X factor.
Lombardi also offered his thoughts on Denver’s coaching situation, as David Adelman embarks on his first full season. He noted Adelman’s creativity and his wealth of defensive schemes, as he is always willing to switch things up.
“He is a very smart dude who understands the game as well as anybody I know,” Lombardi said.
All in all, Lombardi is right — there is a lot to like with Denver’s team this year. With good health and some good luck, Lombardi believes that they have a real shot.
Lombardi’s Legacy
Vic Lombardi has had an incredible career in sports media. He has a unique ability to bring stories to life, which has allowed him to make his mark in the world of sports. However, after all that he’s done, he did mention one regret.
After taking a moment to ponder, Lombardi revealed, “I wish I had done a little more outside the box of sports.” He went on to mention documentaries as an avenue he would have liked to pursue.
Lombardi was drawn to the idea of building up a story from nothing, and he plans on possibly entering that arena if time allows.
Nevertheless, Vic Lombardi has had a career nothing short of legendary. He will continue his reporting at Altitude Sports for the foreseeable future, and Denver fans will continue to enjoy his insightful perspective and engaging personality. As for the Nuggets, the season ahead is full of promise, and Lombardi will be there to entertain and inform the fans every step of the way.
Jun 15, 2023; Denver, CO, USA; Altitude sports broadcaster Vic Lombardi speaks during the championship parade after the Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Finals. Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports