Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith have had their differences over the years, but the latter has now backed up some interesting claims made by the former. Durant raised eyebrows when he went on a bit of a rant over the narrative that Europe’s approach to basketball is better than the United States’.
Durant claimed it was actually a shot at Black Americans, because people are tired of them controlling the sport. Smith has disagreed with a lot of what the future Hall of Famer has said over the years, but he made it clear on First Take on Tuesday that he is 1000% right.
“Understand why he says this,” Smith said. “It originates for why we wanted to globalize the brand to begin with. No doubt you the NBA, who has obviously supported these players and always has, from Commissioner David Stern to Russ Granik, the former deputy commissioner, to Adam Silver to Mark Tatum, these brothers and these men have supported these brothers.
“But America hasn’t always done so, America,” Smith stated. “When you talk about globalizing the sport, certainly money has everything to do with it. Okay? Well, a lot to do with it. But the other part in globalizing your brand is whitening the sport too. Because when you’ve got the Luka Doncics of the world, the Dirk Nowitzkis before him, the Manu Ginobilis and others, because you didn’t have enough white American players to excel on a level that could make the sport more profitable, and what have you, and you had to rely on the brothers.
“It’s why Magic Johnson was so important because of that magnetic smile that invited you into the living room,” Smith continued. “But even still, you still paired him with Larry Bird to promote the sport… To globalize the sport, to have guys who were white European superstars is something that the NBA itself might have capitalized off of lovingly, so because of profitability issues.
“But America and the world as a whole, ingratiated itself with the NBA product because you saw folks who were white, even though they weren’t from America,” Smith added. “If there were a bunch of Cooper Flaggs running around, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But they’re rare. They’re rarities… I’m talking about White American-born.”
That was a lot, but Smith wasn’t done. He believes Durant should be applauded for his bravery and honesty on this matter. Smith then claimed that the NBA markets Black players only because there isn’t an alternative.
“If America has its druthers, it would rather not rely on the brothers,” Smith said. “We see it with the marketing of the NFL. Who gets marketed? We see it with the marketing of Major League Baseball. Even though you do it with NBA players who are brothers, it’s because you have no choice because they are clear-cut the greatest on the planet, and there is no wiggling around them.”
Smith has never shied away from speaking his mind on television, even when he knows his comments will cause a stir. Is he right? Well, this seems like a stretch.
Racial undertones do very much exist in society today, but it seems a bit absurd to suggest that the NBA’s desire to go global was partly down to the league wanting to “whiten” the sport. Every business worldwide has sought to globalize. Heck, the NFL itself is doing it. Smith looks to be in the wrong here, but good luck changing his mind.
