Broadcaster Hire Rescinded
Trail Blazers Rescind Broadcaster Hiring Hours After Announcing It Over Old Posts
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Key Points
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KGW journalist reportedly found the posts and alerted the Trail Blazers before the team rescinded Bell’s hiring.
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Bell was expected to call games alongside analyst Lamar Hurd, who is returning for his 11th season with the team.
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By Friday evening, the posts containing the inflammatory language had been deleted from Bell’s X account, according to the New York Post.
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The Blazers were left looking for a replacement less than three weeks before the season began; Calabro was unavailable because he had joined the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Portland Trail Blazers hired broadcaster Braiden Bell on Thursday afternoon, then fired him eight hours later. KGW reporter Devon Haskins uncovered racist and misogynistic tweets Bell posted in 2012 and 2013, when he was 15 years old. The team said the posts violated its policies and apologized for failing to vet him properly.
Bell, 29, had most recently called games for the Phoenix Mercury and the NBA G League's Valley Suns. He was hired to replace Kevin Calabro, who left after rejecting what he called a "subprime" contract offer. The Blazers now have less than three weeks to find a replacement before the season starts.
How the Posts Were Found and Exposed
KGW journalist Devon Haskins discovered the inflammatory tweets on Bell's X account and alerted the Trail Blazers before announcing his firing. The posts came from 2012 and 2013 and contained racist slurs, misogynistic language, and sexual innuendo. By Friday evening, Bell had deleted the posts and restricted his account to approved followers only.
Bell's Apology and Team's Zero-Tolerance Policy
Bell apologized on Friday, saying the language was "wrong and offensive" and "no reflection of who I am today." The Trail Blazers issued a formal statement stating: "The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments." The team also acknowledged it "did not meet our own bar in this process."
A Crisis With Weeks Until Opening Night
The Blazers face a tight deadline: the NBA regular season begins in less than three weeks. Bell was supposed to work alongside analyst Lamar Hurd, who is returning for his 11th season. Kevin Calabro, the previous play-by-play voice, joined the Minnesota Timberwolves and is unavailable to return. The team must now launch an emergency search for a replacement.
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