The Portland Trail Blazers terminated the employment of newly hired play-by-play broadcaster Braiden Bell on Thursday.
The decision came after insensitive past social media posts surfaced on the same day he was announced.
A reporter for Portland station KGW uncovered posts made in 2012 and 2013, when Bell was approximately 15 years old.
The posts contained offensive comments about Asian people along with misogynistic statements.
The 29-year-old had previously called games for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and the G League's Valley Suns over the past two years.
Team Statement and Apology
Team officials released a statement on social media on Thursday taking immediate disciplinary action against the broadcaster.
"The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments," the team said.
"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."
Neither Bell nor his agent responded to requests for comment from multiple media outlets.
The team subsequently issued an apology regarding their hiring oversight.
"We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City," the Trail Blazers said.
"We strongly believe 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."
Bell was hired to replace former announcer Kevin Calabro, who departed the franchise in July following contract negotiations.
The broadcasting change occurs as team owner Tom Dundon implements cost-cutting measures across the organization.
