NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith is known for speaking bluntly, without sugarcoating his views, and for putting his finger on the wound when explaining certain situations involving players, teams, or even the league as a whole.
His latest remarks stem from comments made by Kevin Durant regarding stylistic differences between the United States and Europe, suggesting that criticism of the AAU system is, at its core, a racial attack.
Durant argued that such comparisons do nothing to help the league and are perceived as an assault on African Americans, who continue to dominate the sport globally.
I just don’t like the talk around the USA versus European style of how you approach the game.”… “All I hear is, ‘AAU is destroying the game; the Euros do it right while the Americans do it wrong.’ It’s a lot of bullsh*t with that.
I can read between the lines on that. It’s a shot at Black Americans. We’re controlling the sport. They’re tired of us controlling the sport.
Durant said, according to The Houston Chronicle.
He also stated that stars such as Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic did not take the All-Star Game seriously and that the supposed European tactical superiority is merely a narrative designed to question the hegemony of American players.
Stephen A. Smith’s criticism of the NBA
On the latest edition of First Take, Smith chose to back Durant’s words, highlighting the criticism aimed at the American style of basketball.
He went even further, asserting that NBA commissioners such as David Stern and Adam Silver have historically shown preferences for white players, while also noting that it is not necessarily their fault that the league’s globalization appears to be moving toward what he described as a “whitening.”
These men have supported these brothers, but America hasn’t always done so.”…”When you talk about globalizing the sport, certainly money has everything to do with it, a lot to do with it. But the other part in globalizing your brand is whitening the sport, too.
Stephen A. Smith said, adding that perhaps the league would be more popular if it had more players in the mold of Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg.
If there were a bunch of Cooper Flaggs running around, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”… “But they’re rare, they’re rarities. Cooper Flagg may be the best White dude since Larry Bird. … Dirk Nowitzki is from Germany. I’m talking about White American-born. That’s a rarity in terms of superstar status in the United States of America, when it comes to the sport of basketball. KD and everybody knows it.
The NBA experienced global growth through Michael Jordan’s brilliance in the 1990s, when he cemented himself as the sport’s defining figure. Later came LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, followed by Stephen Curry, who sustained Jordan’s momentum and elevated it to another level.
The reality is that African Americans provide the power, magic, style, strength, and passion to a sport that, without them, would hardly have achieved its current global reach. The league owes much to its contribution in becoming a worldwide phenomenon.
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