Jim Durham, the veteran announcer who died over the weekend at his home near Tomball, was remembered Monday by colleagues as much for his kindness and good nature off the court as for the talents that brought him a career achievement award from the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame.

Durham, 65, lived on a farm in Rose Hill, located between Tomball and Waller, during the latter part of a lengthy career that included almost two decades (1973-91) as the voice of the Chicago Bulls.

“The voice of champions,” Michael Jordan said in a text message to ESPNChicago.com. “I will miss him.”

Durham spent 15 years as the lead NBA announcer on ESPN Radio alongside analyst Jack Ramsay. He also called Dallas Mavericks games from 1993 through 2001 and was part of the original Home Sports Entertainment broadcast team in the early 1980s. He also did several Rockets games on radio in the fall of 1992 when Gene Peterson was recovering from surgery.

“He was one of the nicest guys I’ve worked with and one of the handful that I respected, and he was a great broadcaster,” said Rockets announcer Bill Worrell, who worked with Durham at HSE.

“He loved working with the Bulls and with ‘Big Red,’ John Kerr, but then ESPN got him and put him on nationwide, and the rest of us got to love him, too. He and Jack Ramsay were great partners.”

Durham “knew the NBA backward and forward,” said Milo Hamilton, a friend sin.