Charles Barkley put the likes of Stephen A.Smith on blast for calling the Brooklyn Nets hiring Steve Nash as a matter of white privilege.
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In a move that came out of absolutely nowhere, the 2-time MVP and 10-time All Star was hired in the newly vacated role. Many believed that interim head coach Jacques Vaughn merited an opportunity to make another playoff run given his performance with limited resources.
Charles Barkley roasts reporters for equating Steve Nash hire to white privilege
Stephen A Smith, who’s ESPN’s A-listed talk show host put up this extremely speculative stance on yesterday morning’s show. He doesn’t really have proof that the likes of Ty Lue, Mark Jackson and Sam Cassell were given an interview or actually considered seriously for the role.
Barkley named several black people who got head coaching roles in the NBA without prior experience. Prominent among them were Doc Rivers and Derek Fisher (Barkley also used Kidd’s name, but Kidd is of mixed ethnicity).
Barkley completed his take with some hard-hitting quotes directed towards Stephen A Smith, who he feels should have spoken with a lot more ‘intelligence’ about the Steve Nash appointment.
Barkley conceded the fact that more black coaches need to find a way into the NBA, but to talk about it while congratulating Steve Nash, wasn’t a very wise move.
I think you have a responsibility especially when you talk about something serious like race, you can’t be full of crap. You have to be honest and fair. Steve Nash is a great player and a good dude, but I was so disappointed with some of these guys.
Do we need more black coaches in the NBA? Yes. Do we need more black coaches in college football? Yes. Do we need more black coaches in pro football? Yes, but this wasn’t the right time to say it today. Good luck to Steve Nash.
