The Portland Trail Blazers terminated their newly appointed television play-by-play announcer, Braiden Bell, just hours after announcing his hiring. This swift action followed the resurfacing of his past comments on X that were deemed misogynistic and racist.
The problematic posts date back to 2012 and 2013, when Bell was around 15 years old. They included derogatory statements about “Asian people” and used offensive language towards women, employing terms like “slut” and wh—s.”
Now 29, Bell’s past remarks have drawn attention and criticism.
A local journalist from KGW in Portland noticed these old posts and reached out to the Blazers for a response before the team made the decision to fire Bell.
In a statement, the Trail Blazers emphasized their commitment to a zero-tolerance policy against racist, sexist, or harmful commentary. They said: “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 also highlighted the importance of maintaining high standards in both broadcast quality and personal character. The team acknowledged falling short in this instance and expressed apologies to their fans, affirming their dedication to creating a welcoming environment for everyone involved.
As of late Thursday night, many of the objectionable posts were still visible on Bell’s X account. One post included a calling out his dislike for Asian individuals, where he stated, “I’m not racist at all.. But not gonna lie.. Asian people piss me off! Hahaha #Honest,” on December 9, 2012. Another post mentioned, “Gotta give a shoutout to all the big girls out there and those closet w—s.” Additionally, he wrote, “We got a slut alert on aisle 10,” in February 2013, as noted by KGW.
No offensive remarks dating back to his adult life were reported, which gives a slightly, um, mixed view of his most recent behavior, I guess.
Bell had been brought on board to take the place of long-time Trail Blazers announcer Kevin Calabro, who stepped down after reportedly receiving an unsatisfactory contract offer. The Blazers had just announced Bell’s appointment earlier that day.
Bell, a 2019 Arizona State graduate, has experience calling games for Cal Baptist, ASU on ESPN+, and has done play-by-play for the Suns’ G League team as well as the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
