Former Kings Broadcaster Grant Napear Loses Appeal Over 2020 Firing

Grant Napear, the longtime Sacramento Kings play-by-play voice dismissed in 2020, has lost his appeal over the termination, according to a report from the New York Post.

Napear’s departure stemmed from comments he made amid the nationwide protests that followed the death of George Floyd, when he responded to a question from former Kings player Doug Christie about the “All Lives Matter” slogan in a way that drew widespread criticism. The franchise parted ways with him shortly afterward, ending a run as the Kings’ broadcaster that dated back decades.

His exit was not the first controversy of his career. Napear had previously drawn scrutiny for comments sympathetic to Donald Sterling, the former Los Angeles Clippers owner banned from the NBA in 2014 after leaked recordings captured racist remarks. After his firing, Napear publicly called Christie a “coward” for not coming to his defense, further straining his relationships within the Sacramento organization and its broadcast circle.

Following the dismissal, Napear spent roughly five years building an independent podcast before returning to terrestrial radio in August of last year as a daily host on Fox Sports Radio’s Sacramento affiliate. That return now comes against the backdrop of the failed appeal, which closes out his legal challenge to the circumstances of his firing.

Fox Sports Radio is part of the Fox media ecosystem under Fox Corporation (NASDAQ: FOXA), which operates national news, sports, and entertainment networks across its Cable Network Programming and Television segments. Fox shares traded at $65.42 in recent action, down 3.44% from a previous close of $67.75, with a market capitalization of roughly $27.72 billion. The company’s sports talk programming arm regularly features personalities with past ties to team broadcasts, making talent reputations a recurring business consideration in the regional and national radio market.

For Sacramento, the episode closes a chapter on one of the most recognizable voices in franchise history. Napear’s courtship of a return to mainstream NBA broadcasting had been a low-level storyline in league media circles for years, and the appellate ruling removes the last formal avenue for him to contest the terms of his dismissal.

Napear has not indicated whether the ruling will affect his current radio role, which is separate from his former Kings play-by-play duties.

What to watch

• Any statement from Napear or Fox Sports Radio regarding his ongoing daily Sacramento show following the appeal ruling.
• Fox Corporation’s next quarterly earnings report, which may touch on sports talk audience trends across regional affiliates.
• Kings broadcast developments, as the franchise continues to evaluate its local play-by-play and studio coverage lineup.

Source: original release