Trail Blazers fire new announcer hours after hiring him over social media posts he made as a teen
CBS Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- The Portland Trail Blazers fired newly hired play-by-play announcer Braiden Bell hours after his hiring due to racist and misogynistic social media posts made when he was a teenager in 2012 and 2013.
- The team emphasized a zero-tolerance policy for racist and sexist comments, stating Bell's posts violated team and league values, and apologized for not meeting their standards in the hiring process.
- Bell, 29, had no offensive posts as an adult since 2015, with his social media focused mainly on sports, and his account was private as of Friday night.
- Previously, Bell worked as a play-by-play broadcaster for the Phoenix Mercury and the G-League's Valley Sun; the Blazers are currently overhauling their broadcast team under new ownership.
- With less than three weeks before the 2026-27 NBA season opener on October 21, Portland must quickly find a new play-by-play announcer.
