TNT's Charles Barkley was having none of Stephen A. Smith's “white privilege” explanation for the hiring of Steve Nash, who received a four-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
The ESPN personality was anxious to dole out his latest hot take on the Nets hiring of Nash:
“Ladies and gentlemen, there's no way around this. This is white privilege. This does not happen for a Black man,” Smith said on ESPN's “First Take” on Thursday. “No experience whatsoever? On any level as a coach? And you get the Brooklyn Nets job?”
Charles Barkley debunked that theory and called Smith out on a bulls**t argument with no validity:
Transcript via The Sporting News:
“When you have a responsibility, especially when you have to talk about something as serious as race, you can’t be full of crap,” said Barkley of Smith's take on the Nets hiring. “You’ve got to be honest and fair.
“Steve Nash is a great player and a good dude. But I was so disappointed in some of these guys. I was like, ‘Dude, Black guys have done this before.’ Now, 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 that today. Good luck to Steve Nash.”
Charles Barkley sounds off on @stephenasmith saying Steve Nash got Nets job because of white privilege. #12Sports pic.twitter.com/HlkG3tPfOO
— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) September 4, 2020
For the sake of comparison, back during the 2012-13 season, there were 14 Black coaches in the NBA, (h/t NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh). There were eight Black coaches by the time the playoffs started and there is now five remaining, with openings still available for the New Orleans Pelicans, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers.
Yet to say this is a move based on white privilege is asinine, so let's step back for a minute:
Since the league’s last player-coach (Dave Cowens with the 1978-79 Boston Celtics), 16 people (including Nash) have become NBA head coaches without prior coaching experience at a professional level. Nine of those 16 are African American.
Not only are the majority of inexperienced coaches Black, but three out of the last five fit that description. The last six coaches hired without prior experience also all happened to have played the point guard position, a mold that has now become popular over the years.
The Nets hired Nash knowing no other team would be vying for his services, as owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks worked arduously to convince him to take the clipboard. Brooklyn would also not have to offer a competitive salary like they would have been forced to do for other (Black) candidates like Tyronn Lue and Jason Kidd.
All in all, Smith's argument — as usual — holds no water whatsoever, and it's only right that Barkley called him out for pulling hot takes out of his behind.
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