Sacramento Kings Announcer Placed on Leave for 'All Lives Matter' Comment on Twitter

Grant Napear, the Sacramento Kings' play-by-play TV announcer, has been put on leave by radio station KHTK for a comment he made about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

A popular radio talk show host, the 60-year-old has been part of KHTK's line-up since 1997. But the CBS-affiliate temporarily relieved Napear of his duties while it investigates a Twitter spat between Napear and former Kings players.

The Sacramento Bee first reported that Napear had been placed on leave. KHTK host Jason Ross later confirmed an investigation was ongoing as he replaced his colleague on his own show on Monday.

Over the weekend, Napear tweeted that "all lives matter" in response to former center DeMarcus Cousins asking for his thoughts on BLM, the protesting organization which targets police brutality and racial injustice.

Cousins subsequently tweeted he wasn't surprised by Napear's reply, before asking former Kings guard Doug Christie to quiz the radio host on his behalf about his stance on the BLM movement.

Christie, who co-hosts the Grant Napear Show along with Napear, invited Cousins on the show, only for the latter to decline.

Former Kings great Chris Webber, who played in Sacramento alongside Christie for five seasons in the early 2000s, then chimed in.

"DeMarcus we know and have known who Grant is," Webber tweeted to Cousins and Christie. "The team knows as well. I've told them many times. They've seen it. They know who he is."

Matt Barnes, who spent a season in Sacramento along with Webber and Christie, described Napear as a "closet racist."

Napear apologized on Monday, admitting he had a lot to learn about the movement.

"I'm not as educated on BLM as I thought I was," he was quoted as saying by The Sacramento Bee. "I had no idea that when I said 'All Lives Matter' that it was counter to what BLM was trying to get across."

The Kings are yet to confirm whether Napear will continue to call games for NBC Sports California.

"Grant's recent Twitter comments do not reflect our organization's views and values," the team said in an official statement on Monday.

"We are reviewing the matter further with our broadcast partners NBC Sports California and Sports 1140 KHTK."

Napear's response is a slogan often deliberately used to deflect attention from issues such as racial injustice and police brutality that BLM campaigns against.

The movement rose again to prominence as protests flared up across the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd's death. Forty-six-year-old Floyd died on May 25 while restrained by officers from the Minneapolis Police Department.

Video footage emerged of a white policeman kneeling over Floyd's neck for several minutes as Floyd pleaded with officers and shouted that he couldn't breathe, before losing consciousness.

Newsweek has contacted KHTK for comment.