Napear (r), a Sacramento TV and radio veteran, is known for a forceful, in-your-face broadcasting styleNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
NBA Kings broadcaster and KHTK-AM radio host Grant Napear "lost both jobs" after a "weekend social media storm led to accusations of racial insensitivity," according to Breton & Anderson of the SACRAMENTO BEE. KHTK and the Kings yesterday issued "simultaneous announcements stating they had parted ways with Napear," who has worked in television and radio in Sacramento since '88. The team in their statement said that Napear "stepped down as the team’s play-by-play announcer." Napear was "embroiled in controversy after former Kings star DeMarcus Cousins prodded him for his thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement during a Twitter exchange." Doug Christie, Napear’s former radio co-host and television broadcast partner during Kings broadcasts, discussed his relationship with Napear, noting that they "sometimes differed in their views." Christie specifically mentioned an occasion when Napear suggested former Clippers Owner Donald Sterling "wasn’t racist because he had black employees such as general manager Elgin Baylor and coach Doc Rivers" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 6/3).
POOR CHOICE: In San Jose, Chuck Barney writes Napear is known for a "boisterous, forceful, in-your-face broadcasting style." Napear yesterday said that if his tweet “came across as dumb I apologize. That was not my intent." Barney: "Clearly, it was too late, too little" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 6/3). The BEE's Breton writes, "No one used the word 'fired,' but that’s what happened." More Breton: "Would I call for Napear’s head? No, because I believe Napear didn’t know 'all lives matter' was a phrase used against BLM. How do I know this? Because by his own admission, he’s a sports guy. And that has been my impression of him for some time. By disallowing someone to be redeemed, we all lose" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 6/3).
