The Portland Trail Blazers announced Braiden Bell as their new television play-by-play broadcaster on October 1, 2026, then said hours later they would not move forward with him after racist and misogynistic posts from 2012 and 2013 surfaced. The team said the posts violated its and the NBA’s policies, and acknowledged that it had fallen short in vetting its hire.
Why did the Trail Blazers drop Braiden Bell?
KGW reporter Devon Haskins brought Bell’s old social media posts to light while covering the hiring announcement. The posts, made in 2012 and 2013, were described in reporting as racist and misogynistic. The reviewed coverage does not provide a complete, independently verified transcript of the posts.
In a statement Thursday night, the team said: “The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments. Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.”
The team also accepted responsibility for the hiring process, saying: “We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City.” OPB reported the reversal and the team’s statements on October 2, with its article updated October 3; the Associated Press account carried by The Washington Post also reported the central details.
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What did Bell say in his apology?
Bell apologized in a statement posted Friday. “I am deeply sorry for the language that I used on Twitter,” he wrote, adding that the posts were written “14 years ago while I was only 15 years old.” He said they did not reflect who he is today, expressed regret for the harm caused, and apologized to those hurt by his words.
Bell’s age at the time of the posts is his account in the apology. The Associated Press reported he was 29 when Portland announced his hiring.
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Who is Braiden Bell?
Bell was hired to replace longtime Blazers television play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Calabro. Before the Portland announcement, Bell had called games for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G League’s Valley Suns. The team announced him shortly after noon on October 1, 2026, and reversed course hours later.
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