The Portland Trail Blazers’ search for a new television play-by-play broadcaster took a stunning turn Thursday, when the team fired Braiden Bell only hours after announcing him as the new voice of its broadcasts.
Bell, 29, had been selected to replace longtime broadcaster Kevin Calabro. But shortly after the hire became public, old social-media posts from 2012 and 2013 resurfaced. The posts, made when Bell was a teenager, included racist and misogynistic language.
The Trail Blazers have parted ways with newly hired TV play-by-play announcer Braiden Bell after old racist tweets he posted as a teenager resurfaced, per @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/Wr9BQNKAKu
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 2, 2026
Portland moved quickly once the posts came to light.
“The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist or harmful comments,” the team said in a statement. The organization added that the posts were in “clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations,” and confirmed that it would not move forward with Bell.
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 2, 2026
The team also acknowledged its own failure in the hiring process, saying it had not met its internal standard and apologizing to fans. Portland promised to improve its vetting process as it restarts the search for a broadcaster.
Before accepting the Portland job, Bell had built experience calling games for the Phoenix Mercury and the G League’s Valley Suns, along with college basketball and other sports assignments. He had been chosen from a competitive group of candidates to become one of the youngest television play-by-play voices in the NBA.
Instead, his tenure lasted only a matter of hours.
The timing leaves the Trail Blazers in a difficult position. Portland opens the regular season on October 21 against the Phoenix Suns, meaning the franchise now has less than three weeks to identify another permanent or interim broadcaster.
