Kings announcer placed on leave following 'All Lives Matter' tweet
Grant Napear, the longtime voice of the Sacramento Kings, has been placed on administrative leave following an online exchange with former franchise star DeMarcus Cousins on Sunday, according to The Sacramento Bee's Jason Anderson.
Napear's radio co-host, Jason Ross, confirmed the decision on "The Grant Napear Show" on Monday.
Cousins asked the play-by-play announcer and KHTK radio host for his opinion on Black Lives Matter. Napear responded by using the phrase "All Lives Matter" - a term regarded as highly dismissive and condescending toward the movement.
Hey!!!! How are you? Thought you forgot about me. Haven't heard from you in years. ALL LIVES MATTER...EVERY SINGLE ONE!!! https://t.co/DfzKl3w0jm
— Grant Napear (@GrantNapearshow) June 1, 2020
The Kings said Monday that they were aware of the comments.
"Grant's recent Twitter comments do not reflect our organization's views and values. We are reviewing the matter further with our broadcast partners NBC Sports California and Sports 1140 KHTK," the team said in a statement, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Napear said Monday that he was unaware of the term's negative connotations.
"I'm not as educated on BLM as I thought I was," he told The Sacramento Bee's Marcos Breton. "I had no idea that when I said 'All Lives Matter' that it was counter to what BLM was trying to get across."
Napear has served as the Kings' play-by-play announcer since 1988.