Former Los Angeles Lakers head coach and longtime shooting guard Byron Scott said he believes NBA stars should be more like Kobe Bryant in their support of Black coaches.
Scott revealed to TMZ Sports he was given the Lakers job in 2014 in part because Kobe spoke up for him with the team's management:
So, what's the solution? Scott says he wants to see more powerful NBA players go to bat for Black candidates.
“Our players don’t do a good enough job for advocating for Black coaches and that's just something that we need to change as well.”
Scott says when he was up for the Lakers head coaching job back in 2014, it was Kobe Bryant who had his back with upper management … and lo and behold, he got hired.
Byron Scott's comments come in the aftermath of the Brooklyn Nets electing to hire two-time MVP Steve Nash as their head coach in spite of a horde of Black coaching candidates.The likes of Los Angeles Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue and Philadelphia 76ers assistant Ime Udoka are among the high-level coaching candidates on the market. Former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson has also been a popular name this offseason.
But rather than hire someone with an established track record, the Nets opted for a guy with no coaching experience in Nash, who has actually spent the better part of this year as a soccer analyst for the UEFA Champions League.
In this case, the stars lobbied on Nash's behalf, as both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have prior relationships with the former star point guard.
However, Byron Scott feels star players should exert their influence on behalf of Black coaches who are candidates for top jobs.
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