Legendary play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro is stepping down from his role as the TV voice of the Portland Trail Blazers after four seasons on the job.
Portland announced the news on Wednesday.
“This was a very difficult decision to make and I want to thank the Allen family and Chris McGowan for their support and understanding,” said Calabro. “I’ll always be grateful to the Rip City fans for welcoming me into the family.”
The Oregonian’s John Canzano says the decision was Calabro’s and that the announcer was not laid off by the team.
I’m told by a source this was not part of the Trail Blazers recent layoffs.
“His decision 100 percent.”
Also told no local NBA broadcasters will be in Orlando bubble. Games will be called from home studios in respective cities. https://t.co/qATVzAJPFF
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) July 1, 2020
Calabro tweeted about the announcement and said he had decided to “hit the pause button”.
Thanks for all the kind words and sentiments. We just decided to hit the pause button and coast a little bit. The basketball Gods have smiled on our house.
— Kevin Calabro (@KevinCalabro) July 1, 2020
Calabro began working as an NBA announcer in 1979 and served as the voice of the Seattle SuperSonics for 21 years. He teamed with Lamar Hurd to announce Trail Blazers games beginning in the 2016-17 season.
Local broadcasters will not be a part of the NBA’s bubble in Orlando. The plan is to have local announcers call games remotely from their local studios. Studio host Jordan Kent will assume the team’s play-by-play duties.
