Grant Napear returns to Sacramento sports radio 5 years after being fired | Opinion
Grant Napear is returning to Sacramento sports radio five years after being fired by the parent company of KHTK-AM (1140), the radio home of the Sacramento Kings.
Starting Sept. 2, Napear will begin competing for ratings against Sactown Sports on his own weekday show, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., on Fox Sports Sacramento (KSAC-AM 890 and K284CM-FM 104.7).
“It’s going to be the Grant Napear show that people have listened to for decades,” Napear told me. “I’m competitive. I’m not only coming back to Sacramento. I’m coming back to win.”
For years, Napear’s afternoon show on the Kings’ flagship station dominated the Sacramento market. The acerbic New Yorker had also been a TV broadcaster for the Kings for 32 years until June of 2020, when his career was effectively canceled.
On May 31, 2020, Napear sparred on X with former Kings player DeMarcus Cousins, who asked Napear what he thought of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Hey!!!! How are you? Thought you forgot about me. Haven’t heard from you in years. ALL LIVES MATTER...EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!,” Napear posted in response.
The Utah-based Bonneville International, which runs 1140, soon announced that it had “parted company” with Napear, who also resigned from his job at the Kings.
“The timing of Grant’s tweet was particularly insensitive,” Bonneville said in a prepared statement.
Bad timing
Yes, Napear’s timing could not have been worse. His exchange with Cousins came just days after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, setting off national and international protests decrying police brutality. Civic unrest had turned violent in Sacramento, as downtown buildings and businesses were vandalized.
Napear employed a phrase on social media that was impolitic. It has been used by some who seek to discredit Black Lives Matter, a political and social movement pushing back against discrimination visited upon Black people.
“What he said came from a place of ignorance, not racism,” comedian and talk show host Bill Maher said of Napear at the time. “That difference is important. Someone could have just explained to him why there’s a deservedly special reason we single out black lives for protection. But now, instead of a possible ally, we create a bitter unemployed person.”
I couldn’t agree more — the punishment did not fit the crime.
Suspension? Sure. Public apology? He was prepared to deliver one, but was never allowed back on the air. Sensitivity training? Yes.
Instead, Napear was thrown away, and now he’s coming back. He sued Bonneville International and lost but is appealing the decision. What happened to him was painful, but he says he’s coming back to Sacramento excited.
“I can’t wait for September 2nd,” he said. “There is nothing like live radio.”
Some in Sac, some remote
Napear said he will do some shows while in Sacramento and the rest remotely. He left the region after he was professionally canceled and has continued commenting on the Kings in his podcast.
“I left Sacramento, but Sacramento never left me,” he said. “I have a bond with the community of Sacramento. I’m gonna be opinionated. My new show is not gonna be different from what I used to do.
“I only know one way to do it. I’m gonna be bringing it.”
Napear’s confrontational style, labeling some who call into his show “morons” and, yes, his less-than-deferential treatment of pro athletes, has become increasingly rare for broadcasters employed by sports franchises and media outlets financially linked to the franchises.
It will be interesting to see if Napear’s style still plays in the capital city five years on. While the Kings’ TV broadcasts are now led by Mark Jones, who is excellent, there has been no one like Napear on Sacramento sports radio since he left.
“Listen, it’s been a love-hate relationship and there are plenty of people who hate me,” Napear said. “As long as they are listening to the show.”
Many have suggested to me off the record that Napear was dumped because he berated too many people and had too many scrapes with the wrong people over the years. My response: OK, but the way it went down, he was fired after one tweet that was impolitic at worst. There were plenty of people in 2020 who had no idea that the words “all lives matter” had a negative connotation. I’m sure there are plenty of people who don’t know it now.
Napear stumbled into a scalding hot moment where emotions were running high and paid an unfair price for it. If he had used the N-word or doubled down after the public backlash or refused to apologize, that would be different. But he didn’t use the N-word, didn’t double down and wanted to apologize. It could have been handled much differently, but wasn’t.
Now, Napear joins KSAC, a relatively new station in Sacramento — Napear will debut one year after the station switched formats.
“I’m gonna put them on the map. I want people to know that I’m not doing this because I’m desperate. I’m doing this because I want to do it. It’s been a void in my life. There is nothing like the community of Sacramento. I want to talk to Sacramento fans again. I want to win the afternoons again.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2025 at 5:05 PM.
