The Portland Trail Blazers have finally recruited a play-by-play broadcaster for the 2026-27 season, or at least a partial one. Portland parted ways with long-time professional Kevin Calabro early in the summer. They took a long time searching for a replacement, finally settling on Phoenix broadcaster Braiden Bell. They ended up firing Bell the same day they hired him due to controversial tweets from his youth. The position has been vacant since.
Now, after this circus, Portland has decided to promote
from within. Maybe.
Details are murky, but Joe Freeman of The Oregonian is reporting that Portland games will be called by seven-year veteran radio broadcaster Travis Demers. The appointment is described alternately as “on a trial basis” and “game-by-game”. Apparently there’s no guarantee that Demers will remain the choice for the position.
He will be given a chance to hold the job all season, a league source said, but the Blazers are keeping their options open as they evaluate the broadcast moving forward. It’s possible the Blazers will bring in a temporary play-by-play voice for four or five games in spots during the season, which would afford them a chance to try out other personalities and give Demers a break. But it’s also possible Demers holds the job the entire season.
Freeman also reports that team executives are opposed to the idea of simulcasting radio and television broadcasts, but that they’ll likely be forced into it early in the year, since Demers was just appointed and the start of the regular season is a week away.
