Grant Napear makes his return, as a podcaster

Former Sacramento Kings TV play-by-play announcer and local sports radio talk show host Grant Napear has reemerged onto the sports talk scene with a new pod cast following his sudden dismissal due to what was deemed insensitive comments on social media last Spring.

“If you don’t Like that with Grant Napear” debuted in early October and has quickly built up a large following from fans across Northern California and the world. The first three episodes have already drawn more than 25,000 downloads.

NBA legend Charles Barkley was the first guest on the pod. The two old friends discussed the current state of sports in America and the challenges everyone is facing when it comes to publicly speaking one’s mind. Charles also recalled a funny story involving a dispute between former Kings’ head coach Paul Westphal, a troublesome young star name Demarcus Cousins, and which one of them ultimately won the battle.

Sirius FM’s Chris Russo, a childhood friend of Nap ear’s, appeared on episode 3 and the two recalled their lives together and the paths they both took to build successful careers in sports broadcasting.

Grant is clearly trying to move on from the unfortunate events that led to his dismissal and rebuild his career, but it will take some time. He will need to get comfortable back in front of a mic and just talk sports without feeling the need to confront the situation that derailed what was a highly coveted position in sports broadcasting.

Back on May 31, Napear responded to a series of tweets by Cousins regarding the BLM movement. His response caused an immediate uproar and the long-time Sacramento sports personality was fired by KHTK Radio the very next day and he was asked to resign his position as the Kings play-by-play announcer shortly after that.

Regardless of whether Napear’s response was an intentional slam on the social injustice raging across America, or if it was just a case of someone not truly understanding the movement and the slogans of the various sides, the swift actions of his employers left a bitter taste in his mouth that he is unlikely to forgive.

He and his wife have since sold their home in El Dorado Hills and moved to Miami, FL to get away from the negative situation and start a new phase of their lives. Its unclear if he’ll ever return to Northern California, where much of his family still resides, but for now he is happily enjoying the ocean view from his Highrise condo and doing what he loves best, talking sports again.

He will eventually resurface again to call play-by-play for a regional or national sports network, but for now you can catch his podcast every Tuesday and Friday.