Much was made about Stephen A. Smith’s accusation of Steve Nash landing a head coaching gig with the Brooklyn Nets because of his “white privilege,” but the two-time NBA MVP didn’t completely dismiss the idea during his introductory press conference.
Nash acknowledged he “skipped the line” in terms of being hired as a head coach and that he has benefited from white privilege in his life, but he didn’t jump to correlate the two.
“I have benefited from white privilege,” Nash said when asked about Smith’s comments. “Our society has a lot of ground to make up. I’m not saying this position was a factor, as far as white privilege. … I think, as white people, we have to understand we have a certain privilege and a benefit by the color of our skin in our communities. We have a long way to go to find equality and social and racial justice. I hope that I’m a great ally in that cause.
“I’m very sensitive to the cause and the goal,” Nash continued Wednesday. “I’m not sure that this is an example that purely fits that conversation. But I own it, and I understand why it’s important to talk about it and that we need more diversity and more opportunity for African-American coaches and staff in all capacities.”
Many people were critical of Smith’s accusation of white privilege as the ESPN star discussed the Nets hire of a future Hall of Fame point guard who spent nearly two decades in the NBA and happens to be white. Those adversaries pointed to Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher, Doc Rivers and Mark Jackson as examples of former Black players who were hired as head coaches without having any coaching experience at the NBA level.
But this was not a new sentiment from Smith, nor was it just a ploy to use inequality as a headline at a time when there is significant racial tension in the United States. In 2014, Smith similarly claimed Steve Kerr was hired by the Golden State Warriors because he is white.
“My problem is that he had his pick of the litter it appeared when he’s never coached a day in his life,” Smith said of Kerr more than a half-decade ago. “That is not something I see happen for black coaches.”
While the accolades of Kerr and Nash can be debated in terms of whether or not white privilege contributed to them landing head coaching gigs, what’s inarguable is the high percentage of white males who are hired for jobs where intelligence is valued more than athleticism. For a league of 30 teams with about 75 percent of its players being Black, the proportions of Black head coaches and general managers do not match up.
