Braiden Bell. Image via: Portland Trail Blazers
The 29-year-old said he was 15 when the posts went up, roughly 14 years ago, and that they “have no reflection of who I am today. It called the posts a clear violation of team and league policy, said they clash with its values, and announced it would not move forward with the broadcaster.
Bell did not dispute what the tweets said. It also says it stings that the tweets are now many people’s first look at the broadcaster, though those who know Bell well understand the posts do not match the person. Bell has since set the X account to private, though screenshots were already saved. The message calls them wrong outright. It closed with an apology to anyone hurt by the words and a promise to treat people with kindness and respect.
Bell responded on Friday with a written message on X, the same platform where the old tweets lived.
The team announced the hire Thursday morning, then cut ties that same night after a local reporter surfaced offensive posts from the broadcaster’s teenage years.
The team said it has “zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments. Braiden Bell spent less than a day as the Portland Trail Blazers’ new TV play-by-play voice. The Blazers called the tweets a clear breach of team and league policy. Most NBA fans probably had never heard the name before then. Outside the arena, the story quickly became a debate. Social media filled with arguments about what standards people should face for things they posted years ago, especially as teenagers. Bell’s apology arrived in the middle of that conversation, a day after the team’s statement.
Braiden Bell was introduced as the Trail Blazers’ new television play-by-play broadcaster on Thursday morning.