The Portland Trail Blazers hired a new television play-by-play voice on Thursday, then reversed course and walked away from the deal the same day after old social media posts resurfaced. Braiden Bell, who had been set to replace longtime broadcaster Kevin Calabro, found his new job gone before he ever called a game in Portland.
The Blazers announced on Oct. 1 that they would not move forward with Bell, saying in a statement reported by The Athletic that “Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play announcer are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations.” The team added, “Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.” Per that same report, the posts were made in 2012 and 2013, when Bell was a teenager, and KGW-TV first reported their existence.
According to The Oregonian, the organization rescinded its contract offer to the 29-year-old broadcaster, and the turnaround was remarkably fast — the outlet noted that roughly eight hours separated his hiring from his dismissal. The same report says Bell posted the inappropriate tweets in 2012 and 2013 while still a teenager.
A Quick Rise Cut Short
Bell had been scheduled to appear at the team's Fan Fest scrimmage on Sunday and begin working in Portland the following week, per The Athletic. He was set to call games alongside television analyst Lamar Hurd, who is returning for an 11th season, according to KATU, while radio voice Travis Demers was set to return for his eighth season, according to Blazersedge.
Before the Blazers came calling, Bell had built a resume across multiple levels of basketball broadcasting. Bell graduated from Arizona State University in 2019 and had called college, G League and WNBA games since leaving ASU, per the same Oregonian report. In 2024, he returned to Arizona to call Sun Devils games for ESPN+ and Big 12 Now while also becoming the first play-by-play voice of the Valley Suns, the G League affiliate tied to the Phoenix Suns organization.
Bell joined the Phoenix Mercury broadcast in 2025, splitting play-by-play duties with Ann Schatz, according to AZCentral. That WNBA role made him a familiar voice to Arizona basketball fans before the Blazers' job offer pulled him toward the Pacific Northwest.
Team Says It Fell Short of Its Own Standards
The Blazers framed the reversal as a matter of organizational values rather than a simple scheduling problem. The team said it has zero tolerance for racist, sexist or harmful comments, language echoed in The Athletic's report on the firing. The club also apologized directly to its fan base, telling KATU, “We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City.”
Portland indicated it intends to ensure its eventual replacement hire reflects the organization's stated values going forward. The dossier of reporting on the episode does not include any public comment or response from Bell himself, and it remains unclear who will ultimately take over the play-by-play booth that Calabro vacated after nine seasons calling Trail Blazers games.
