A question from DeMarcus Cousins on social media would eventually cost an Emmy-winning broadcaster his longtime place around the Sacramento Kings. Six years after a controversial response about the Black Lives Matter movement triggered a career-altering backlash, a federal appeals court has now delivered another setback in the 67-year-old’s broadcaster’s legal fight.

Grant Napear became one of the most recognizable voices in Sacramento sports during his 31 years calling Kings games. In 2017, Napear, Jerry Reynolds and Kayte Christensen were honored with an Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in the “On-Camera Talent-Sports-Play by Play/Analyst” category. But in 2020, Napear’s career took a dramatic turn after a Twitter exchange with Cousins, the former Warriors star.

Boogie was frequently criticized by Napear, and the four-time All-Star tweeted at the host, “What’s your take on BLM?” Napear responded, “Hey!!!! How are you? Thought you forgot about me. Haven’t heard from you in years. ALL LIVES MATTER…EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!” Cousins wrote back, “Lol as expected.”

Former Kings players joined the discussion, with Chris Webber and Matt Barnes among those criticizing Napear. The backlash did not remain confined to Twitter. Bonneville International Corp., the company that employed him as both a radio host and a Kings broadcaster, placed Napear on administrative leave and fired him from his KHTK radio position. Napear then resigned as the Kings’ television play-by-play announcer on June 2, ending a run that had stretched back to 1988.

Napear sued Bonneville, arguing that the company had punished him for private political expression that had nothing to do with his work. On Thursday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower-court decision dismissing Napear’s lawsuit against Bonneville.

“Napear was a public figure in his role as a radio-show host,” and his contract “required him to maintain ‘a high standard of care and level of responsibility’ on social media, since it also affects the company’s ‘public image and reputation,’” the three-judge panel said.

The court also rejected the idea that California law necessarily prevented Bonneville from restricting political expression when that expression occurred within the scope of an employee’s professional role and potentially affected the company’s reputation. The ruling affirmed U.S. District Judge Dale Drozd’s earlier dismissal of Napear’s lawsuit.

For Napear’s legal team, however, the fight may not be over. His argument is essentially that Napear was speaking as himself, not as Bonneville’s representative. His attorney, Matthew Ruggles, maintained that Napear owned the Twitter account and that the tweet was not made during a broadcast, on-air or as part of his radio program.

“Grant Napear actually owned that Twitter account, had published approximately 38,500 tweets before he tweeted ‘All Lives Matter…Every Single One,’ and that tweet was not made on-air, during work, or as part of any radio show,” Ruggles said. “It was Grant’s personal expression, and that issue should be decided by a jury, not the court.”

Now, Napear’s attorneys are expected to seek another hearing before the full appeals court. If that effort fails, they could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. Napear has also shown little interest in distancing himself from the controversy. On May 31, 2026, exactly six years after his original exchange with Cousins, he returned to X and quote-tweeted the controversial post.

“6 years ago today. Are there really still people that don’t agree with this? I haven’t found many!” Napear wrote.

The 67-year-old eventually found his way back into sports broadcasting. After spending years podcasting following his departure from the Kings and KHTK, he returned to radio and took a daily hosting position with Fox Sports Radio in Sacramento last year. But the show was abruptly canceled in May.

For now, the latest ruling leaves Napear with another setback, but not necessarily the final word. The dispute that began with a few words on Twitter has now stretched across six years and multiple levels of the court system.