- The Portland Trail Blazers turned a routine broadcast hire into a same-day reversal.
- 1, the team announced Braiden Bell as its new television play-by-play announcer.
- Less than eight hours later, Bell was gone after reports surfaced of offensive social-media posts he had made as a teenager.
- The Blazers said the posts were “in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as the team’s values and expectations,” and added that they would not move forward with the broadcaster.
- Once they surfaced, the Blazers moved quickly to reverse course on a hire they had just announced.
- The team said it has “zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments,” and repeated that stance as it explained the dismissal.
Trail Blazers Hire Braiden Bell, Then Fire Him the Same Day After Old Posts Resurface
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Sources & Referenced Reporting
- blazersedge.com, “Trail Blazers Name Braiden Bell as New TV Play-by-Play Broadcaster,” Oct. 1, 2026.
- ESPN, “Trail Blazers quickly fire new announcer over social media posts from 2012-13,” Oct. 2, 2026.
- New York Post, “Trail Blazers fire broadcaster — on same day hiring was announced — after racist, mismisogynistic posts emerge,” Oct. 2, 2026.
- blazersedge.com, “Trail Blazers Fire Broadcaster Braiden Bell for Offensive Comments,” Oct. 1, 2026.
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