Earlier this month the Sacramento Kings parted ways with their longtime TV announcer Grant Napear, but with the 2019-20 season set to restart, the team announced Gary Gerould will handle television play-by-play responsibilities in the interim.
Gerould, the Kings longtime radio voice will transition to the TV broadcast for the season’s remaining eight games which will begin around July 30 from the NBA bubble in Orlando. Certainly not new to the Kings and their fanbase, the 79-year old Gerould has called 2,769 games for the team’s flagship radio station 1140 KHTK. From 1994-98 he also worked as their TV play-by-play voice.
Napear resigned from his role with the Kings amid controversy for responding to the Black Lives Matter movement with “all lives matter” during a Twitter exchange with NBA center DeMarcus Cousins. In addition to resigning from the Kings, Napear also departed his afternoon radio show on 1140 KHTK. Napear’s former television and radio partner, Doug Christie will continue his analyst role alongside interim TV play-by-play voice Gary Gerould. Gerould and Christie will call the remainder of the 2019-20 season remotely for NBC Sports California.
“I am so pleased to have this opportunity and excited to be alongside Doug to call the team’s return to the court in Orlando,” Gerould said in the press release. “It is an absolute joy to return to the game I love and welcome the challenge of once again calling Kings action on TV. I am grateful to the organization for entrusting me to resume the season and deeply appreciative to all the Kings fans for their tremendous support over the years.”
With Gerould moving to TV for the rest of the 2019-20 season, it creates a void on KHTK’s Kings radio coverage. Replacing the longtime radio voice in the interim will be Jason Ross. Ross has contributed to the Kings radio team for 25 years in various roles, most recently serving as the broadcast’s pre, halftime and postgame host.
The Kings plan to conduct a formal search to find their permanent TV play-by-play announcer prior to the 2020-21 NBA season.