Neil Everett joins Blazers broadcasts as a studio host

ESPN presenter Neil Everett joins the Portland Trail Blazers on a part-time basis.

The Blazers released the news on Monday and also posted an interview with Everett. The interview states that he will continue to host his late-night edition of SportsCenter, which seemed like a given since he just got a new deal this summer.

Everett revealed that the new contract leaves him with less work and opens up more time roles like his new one with Portland.

I was about to get my contract with ESPN and I was hoping to work a little less just because of the hours – I’m a little old for going to bed at one or two in the morning on so many days a week. So it worked out contractually, it turned out that I could work less and I asked her. I spoke to Jim Etzel, who put me in touch with Chris McGowan. All of these pieces were in play at the same time: Portland was looking, I was in the middle of a contract renegotiation, ESPN was very indulgent, allowing me to work less and do something they knew would mean so much to me Portland Connection and my Northwest Connection given. I got Chris McGowan and then Dewayne (Hankins) and here we are.

This is the team’s first season at Root Sports Northwest, which it joined this summer following a long-term deal with now-closed NBC Sports Northwest.

This summer it was reported that the Blazers are also bringing back spokesperson Kevin Calabro’s game for the new campaign. Calabro stepped down from his role in the Orlando bubble in the summer of 2020 ahead of the NBA restart. In August the team announced their return.

[Portland TrailBlazers]