Blazers broadcaster fired hours after hiring for racist, sexist posts from teen years

PORTLAND, Ore. — The same day the Portland Trail Blazers announced the hiring of television broadcaster Braiden Bell, the team has fired him because of past social media posts. KGW-TV reported the posts were made when Bell was a teenager in 2012 and 2013.

Bell, 29, was the television play-by-play announcer for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.

“The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist or harmful comments,’’ the team said in a statement. “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. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.’’

Read more on the original article : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7651447/2026/10/01/trail-blazers-announcer-fired-social-media-posts/