The Portland Trail Blazers fired their newly hired play-by-play broadcaster Braiden Bell just hours after announcing his appointment. The team said they found racist and misogynistic tweets on Bell’s social media from 2012 and 2013 when he was a teenager. The Blazers said these posts violated their values and league policies, leading to the immediate termination of Bell’s contract.
Bell, 29, was set to replace longtime broadcaster Kevin Calabro, who was not retained amid a wider overhaul of the team's television operation under new owner Tom Dundon. The Blazers issued a statement on Thursday: “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 statement added, “The play-by-play role carries a long legacy of excellence, on the broadcast and in character, and we hold that standard without exception. We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City. We believe strongly that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better.”
The offensive tweets were initially uncovered by local news outlet KGW, which reported that Bell’s account showed no inappropriate content after 2015, with posts focusing almost exclusively on sports. Bell’s account had been private as of Friday night.
Before accepting the Blazers role, Bell worked as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Phoenix Mercury and the G-League’s Valley Suns. His sudden dismissal leaves Portland searching for a new voice in the booth less than three weeks before the 2026-27 NBA season starts. The Trail Blazers open their campaign at home against the Phoenix Suns on October 21.
The Blazers’ swift action underscores the team’s stance against offensive behaviour, especially in such a visible position. Bell’s firing comes amid a broader shake-up in the franchise’s broadcast team following changes in ownership and management. The search for a replacement broadcaster is now an urgent priority ahead of the new season.
According to CBS.
