By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. This month, we look at a new U.S. soccer star, Natalie Nakase’s health scare, a rare game between two Asian American quarterbacks, and the impressive Joshua Van. But first, we discuss a recent firing.
Blazers fire new play-by-play announcer
Even before the start of the season, the Portland TrailBlazers fired its new play-by-play announcer, Braiden Bell. A Portland area station discovered misogynistic and racist comments on Twitter (now known as X) he made while he was a teenager. Bell is 29 years old.
The social media tweets were from 2012. One of the tweets read, “I’m not racist at all. But not gonna lie..Asian people piss me off! Hahhaha.”
In addition, Bell made fun of women on his social media page.
Previously, Bell was a broadcaster for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. He has requested the team reconsider its decision.
Teenage star impresses U.S. Soccer National Team
Cavan Sullivan is just 17 years old, but already making waves in the soccer world. Sullivan, whose mother is of German-Bangladeshi descent, became the youngest player to score a goal for the U.S. men’s national team. The midfielder scored this past Saturday in a match against Mexico.
United States’ Cavan Sullivan in action during the second half of an international friendly soccer match against the Chile Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Sullivan plays for the MLS Philadelphia Union, where he has scored 7 goals and leads the team with 9 assists.
Sullivan joined the youth academy for the Philadelphia Union in 2020. He turned pro in 2024 for the Philadelphia’s Union youth club. Throughout his teenage years, he has played internationally for the United States on its U15, U17, and U19 teams.
Valkyries coach collapses during playoff game
The Golden State Valkyries are in the midst of an impressive WNBA run in the playoffs. They are in the semifinals facing the Las Vegas Aces this week. Just in its second season, the team coached by Natalie Nakase have been impressive. In the deciding third game of its playoff series with the Dallas Wings, Nakase collapsed in front of her bench during a break in play in the fourth quarter of the close matchup. She was able to get up on her own and coach the rest of the game.
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase watches play in the first half of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game against the Dallas Wings Wednesday Sept. 30, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Nakase blames exhaustion for her collapse. She was checked out by doctors and will be able to coach the Valkyries against the Aces. She will wear a heart monitor going forward and wear her Oura ring, which monitors stress and sleep. She told the San Francisco Chronicle that sleep and prioritizing mental health have been priorities this season. But the stress and grind of the postseason have led to sleepless nights.
Notably, Nakase was an assistant head coach under Aces head coach Becky Hammon for three years including helping the Aces win back-to-back WNBA championships.
Rare battle of two Asian American QBs
Last month, Brigham Young University (BYU) played the University of Arizona in a matchup in the Big 12 Conference. It was also a rare matchup between two Asian American quarterbacks. BYU features Michael “Bear” Bachmeier. The Thai American is in his second year as a quarterback for the Cougars. The 20-year-old is from Murrieta, California and originally committed to Stanford, but decided to transfer to BYU. Notably, Bachmeier has a younger brother, Tiger, who plays wide receiver for the Cougars.
BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) takes a photo with fans in the stands after an NCAA college football game against TCU, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Noah Fifita is a senior quarterback that has played at Arizona his whole college football career. He was the Pac-12 Offensive player of the year in 2023 and was All-Big 12 first team in 2025. Fifita is of Tongan and Filipino descent.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita (1) during an NCAA college football game against Northern Illinois in Tucson, Ariz., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Cougars defeated the Wildcats 28-17 in Provo, Utah. Bachmeier threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a score. Fifita threw for 230 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown.
Van wins rematch, retains title
Joshua Van celebrates during a light featherweight bout at the UFC 316 mixed martial arts event in June 2025 in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Burmese American Joshua Van headlined UFC 331 in Los Angeles. The 24-year-old defeated Alexandre Pantoja to retain his flyweight championship. Van defeated Pantoja last December to win the title. He became the first Asian-born male champion and the first champion to be born in the 2000s. Van was voted ESPN’s Breakout Fighter of the Year and his fight against Brandon Royval was voted Fight of the Year.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.
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