A broadcaster with strong ties to Arizona State athletics found himself at the center of a stunning controversy this week.
The Portland Trail Blazers fired newly hired television play-by-play announcer Braiden Bell just hours after announcing him as the franchise’s new voice. The decision came after racist and misogynistic social media posts from Bell’s teenage years resurfaced online. According to reporting from KGW in Portland, the posts dated back to 2012 and 2013, when Bell was approximately 15 years old.
The Trail Blazers released a statement saying they have “zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments” and determined the posts violated both team and league standards. The organization acknowledged it “did not meet its own bar in this process” and apologized to fans following the abrupt reversal.
Braiden Bell Posts
According to reporting from KGW, the social media posts that led to Braiden Bell’s dismissal dated back to 2012 and 2013, when he was a teenager. Among the posts cited was a Dec. 9, 2012 tweet that read, “I’m not racist at all.. But not gonna lie.. Asian people piss me off! Hahaha #Honest.” Other resurfaced posts included, “Gotta give a shoutout to all the big girls out there and those closet w–res,” “We got a sl-t alert on aisle 10,” and “Girls these nights… Smh. #ThirstyForTheD.” After the posts emerged, the Portland Trail Blazers said they were “in clear violation of team and league policies” and announced they would not move forward with Bell as the franchise’s new television play-by-play broadcaster.
Braiden Bell Career
The story has drawn particular interest in Big 12 circles because Bell has become a familiar voice around Arizona State athletics. Bell, an Arizona State graduate, has worked as a play-by-play broadcaster covering Sun Devils events since 2024 and also hosts “Sun Devil Extra,” a show featuring Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini and other guests. He has regularly called ASU events on ESPN+ and covered numerous Big 12 matchups.
Before accepting the Portland position, Bell also served as a broadcaster for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the NBA G League’s Valley Suns. He had recently called games on major networks, including a notable Fox Sports assignment involving a Big 12 matchup between West Virginia and TCU.
As of Friday morning, it remained unclear whether Bell’s role with Arizona State Athletics would be impacted by the controversy. However, what was supposed to be a career-defining promotion instead became one of the most surprising sports media stories of the week.
