{
  "id": 11267436,
  "title": "Phoenix Mercury, Valley Suns voice Braiden Bell leaving for NBA job",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/phoenix-mercury-valley-suns-voice-braiden-bell-leaving-for-nba-job",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-01T19:52:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/phoenix-mercury-valley-suns-voice-195226368.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Braiden Bell, the play-by-play voice for the Phoenix Mercury and Valley Suns, has accepted a new role on the Portland Trail Blazers' television broadcast. The announcement was made on Thursday, October 1st, just ahead of the NBA season commencing. Bell will be joined by color commentator Lamar Hurd and courtside reporter Brooke Olzendam in a new-look broadcast for the Rip City Television Network. Bell expressed his excitement and gratitude in a statement shared on his X account, stating that he is eager to connect with the Portland community and honor the Trail Blazers' rich history and tradition as a play-by-play announcer. Bell, who previously served as the Mercury's broadcast voice from 2025 onwards and called games for ASU's ESPN+ and Big 12 Now, is an alumnus of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.",
  "summary": "Braiden Bell, who has spent the last two seasons with the Phoenix Mercury and Valley Suns as a play-by-play announcer, is headed for the NBA.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}