Blazers decide on their replacement for Braiden Bell after firing saga

The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Travis Demers as their new television play-by-play broadcaster, according to a report by Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Demers, who has served as the team's radio voice for the past seven seasons, replaces Braiden Bell ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season. The role was originally vacated by Kevin Calabro following budget cuts under new owner Tom Dundon.

Demers takes over after Bell was fired less than 24 hours into the job when past racist and misogynistic social media posts surfaced. Despite apologizing, Bell recently hired legal counsel seeking reinstatement and publicly urged the NBA to adopt fairer hiring practices. However, Portland has officially moved on by promoting Demers to the television booth.