In October, when an amicable end to the NBA lockout looked unlikely at best, Bryant Gumbel made headlines for criticizing the league’s intransigence during negotiations. In a controversial commentary, he accused NBA Commissioner David Stern of acting like a modern-day plantation owner and “treating NBA men as if they were his boys.”
Gumbel was roundly criticized for his comments and taken to task for unfairly labeling Stern a racist. After all, the NBA is made up of mostly black players who make millions of dollars. How could that happen if the guy in charge is a racist?
Then last month, as contract negotiations got even more heated between the players and the owners, NBA union attorney Jeffrey Kessler latched onto Gumbel’s comparison and accused the league of treating players like “plantation workers.” While that reignited the controversy and prompted Kessler to apologize, it failed to spark a real debate about the role that race plays in the NBA.
Now that an end to the NBA lockout is in sight, it seems that all parties are ready to forgive and forget, but that would be a mistake. Instead of ignoring the accusations of racism that were sparked by an ugly and protracted contract battle, the NBA should take this opportunity to explore the institutionalized racism in the NBA and to take steps to correct it.
The comparison between NBA executives and slave owners isn’t a new one. It has actually been made on other occasions.
Following LeBron James’ high-profile departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010, the Cavs’ owner, Dan Gilbert, fired off a scathing tirade of a letter blasting James for being disloyal. In response, Jesse Jackson accused Gilbert of acting like a slave owner and treating James like a “runaway slave.”
via NBA and Racism: Time to Address the Issue.
GILBERT IS A GOD… AT BEING A FAG. NIXED PAUL TO LA LIKE A BITCH.