Mike Yam was born in New York and grew up in Dumont, New Jersey, in a Chinese-Italian household. He attended Fordham University, where he hosted One on One on campus radio station WFUV. After college, Yam launched his career at Sirius Satellite Radio, co-hosting The Mike and Murray Show and hosting NBA Radio’s Full Court Press and The Phil Jackson Show. 

He joined NBA TV as a studio host and then ESPN in 2008, where he anchored SportsCenter and hosted College Football Live, College Basketball Final, and NBA Fastbreak. In 2012, he became the lead studio host for Pac-12 Networks, a role he held for nine years while also serving as the play-by-play voice for Intel Sports’ NFL coverage and contributing to SiriusXM Radio.

In 2020, Yam joined NFL Network as a host, contributing to pregame and postgame shows, studio programming, and special events. He also took on the role of lead host for CW Football Saturday on The CW in 2024 — a position he returned to in 2025. Beyond television, Yam published the children’s book Fried Rice and Marinara to address the lack of Asian and mixed-race representation in children’s media.