In an interesting twist to an already interesting offseason for the Portland Trail Blazers, The Oregonian/Oregon Live’s John Canzano is reporting that the team has parted ways with play-by-play announcer Jordan Kent.
Here is where things get even more confusing and head-scratching. Canzano is also reporting that the parting of Kent is opening the door for the return of Kevin Calabro.
Confused? Calabro resigned before the NBA resumed at the Disney World bubble in 2020. Kent, who held the pregame, halftime, and postgame host position, held the same position Brooke Olzendam currently holds. The Blazers promoted Kent to the job of play-by-play left by Calabro. Kent when on to call the games with commentator Lamar Hurd, and both called the games this past season.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live columnist Canzano also is reporting,
"The Blazers remained in communication with Calabro, a source said. He left the job out of the blue to avoid un necessary exposure to covid-19 and spend time with his family, not because he was prepared for his broadcast career to end. So the Blazers never closed the door on a reunion, and there is hope in the organization that, should a deal be reached, he will finish his career in Portland."
Before joining the Blazers in 2016, Calabro was the long-time voice of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1987-2008 and did not want to relocate to Oklahoma City when the Sonics relocated there in 2008, deciding to remain in Seattle. Calabro called NBA games on ESPN Radio as well. Before naming Calabro the television play-by-play broadcaster, Mike Barrett, who is now involved with the Portland Diamond Project, brought Major League Baseball to Portland. Barrett called the Trail Blazers games from 2003-2016 before being let go by the team.
Before Barrett, Pete Pranica, now with the Memphis Grizzlies, called the games with Rice (1998-2003). Eddie Doucette and even Bill Schonley called television games before Pranica. Before Doucette and Schonley, it was Pat Lafferty and the original/first voice of the Blazers on television, Jimmy Jones, the Sports Director at KPTV (12), the now Portland FOX affiliate.
In case you were wondering, Doucette is now living in California and was awarded the Curt Gowdy Award, which is an award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for outstanding basketball writers and broadcasters (awarded in 2013). Lafferty went on to broadcast for Minor League Baseball’s Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and was their original announcer from 1997 until his retirement in 2007.
It is unknown at this time if Calabro is interested in returning to the Blazers. If he is not, the team will have another search on its hands, a search for a TV play-by-play broadcaster, in addition to a search for the next head coach.