PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers will add longtime ESPN anchor Neil Everett to their broadcast team, according to a news release from the franchise on Monday.
Everett will be the studio host for pregame, halftime and postgame segments for most Trail Blazers road games.
“It’s a delight to be able to join the great broadcast crew of my hometown team,” said Everett in the news release. “I look forward to returning to the Pacific Northwest and working hard to provide the best fans in the league in Rip City a great television broadcast.”
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Everett joined ESPN in 2000 as an anchor for ESPNEWS. He will continue to anchor the late-night edition of SportsCenter from Los Angeles.
Prior to joining ESPN, Everett worked at news stations in Hawaii for 15 years. He most recently held the role of sports director and anchor at KGMB-TV in Honolulu.
“To have someone with Neil’s knowledge and experience join the Trail Blazers will take our television broadcast to the next level,” said Chris McGowan, president and CEO of the Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter. “His personal ties to the Pacific Northwest paired with his expertise will complement the great talent we have on our broadcast team.”
Before Everett began his TV news career, he attended Willamette University in Salem before transferring to the University of Oregon where he earned a degree in journalism.
The Trail Blazers will host the Sacramento Kings in a preseason exhibition on Monday. Portland's first regular-season game is at home against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 20.