Racism and Basketball - clashing yet again
The Saturday edition of "Six things to know by 6 AM" is here, and heavy
There's a general theme with the top three headlines for today's "Snippets": racism and basketball. Remember when Fox News host Laura Ingraham, in her show, said LeBron should "shut up and dribble" literally a little over three years ago (February 18, 2018)? Well, we are back at it again - LeBron is attacked (this time, by a famous player in a different sport), and we have some other racism-meets-basketball stories as well.
So, let's get to it!
1) New WNBA Atlanta Dream Owner... is a former player!
This should be a bigger story, given the circumstances. So, some background first. A minority co-owner of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream was Kelly Loeffler (owner since 2010), a Republican U.S. senator for Georgia from January 2020 - January 2021, but was more known for backing former President Donald Trump and spoke disparagingly of the Black Live Matter movement last summer. In response back in August, several WNBA players (not just from the Dream) wore black t-shirts saying "Vote Warnock" in support of Loeffler's Democratic opponent, Raphael Warnock, who is African-American (and ended up winning the November head-to-head election, following a January 2021 run-off).
Fast forward to yesterday morning. It was reported that Loeffler sold her stake in the franchise, and that a former WNBA player, Renee Montgomery (who spent her last two seasons with the Dream) was one of three people to gain ownership in the Atlanta Dream. She becomes the first former WNBA player to have a stake in a WNBA franchise.
2) Zlatan to LeBron: "Stay out of politics"
Remember that headline-grabbing story during former President Trump's term that I mentioned in the intro? Well, we are back again, as current Swede soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic (who now plays for the Italian team AC Milan) made a similar comment that Laura Ingraham made three years ago. According to an ESPN article, Ibrahimovic said:
"[LeBron] is phenomenal at what he's doing, but I don't like when people have some kind of status, they go and do politics at the same time. Do what you're good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I'm the best at playing football.
I don't do politics. If I would be a political politician, I would do politics. That is the first mistake people do when they become famous and they become in a certain status. Stay out of it. Just do what you do best because it doesn't look good."
Those are some strong words from 39-year old Swede. This quote is basically another one of those "stay in your lane" inflammatory comments that run rampant against minorities these days. This fiery statement goes against what LeBron has done for African Americans recently - from his organization drawing more than 40,000 volunteers to work at polling stations last November to opening a school for minorities in his hometown of Akron, Ohio (also feeding them during the pandemic) to establishing an affordable housing project for 50 families in the greater Akron area. LeBron responded after yesterday's Lakers’ win, that snapped the team's season-long four game losing streak:
3) Jeremy Lin speaks out regarding American on Asian-American hate
Speaking of racist attacks on a basketball player... we have yet another one. This time, with former New York Knick sensation (back around this time in 2012) and current G Leaguer (think, minor leagues for basketball), Jeremy Lin. Recently (within the past couple of days), he said:
“Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans. We are tired of being told that we don't experience racism, we are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not make trouble. We are tired of Asian American kids growing up and being asked where they're REALLY from, of having our eyes mocked, of being objectified as exotic or being told we're inherently unattractive. We are tired of the stereotypes in Hollywood affecting our psyche and limiting who we think we can be. We are tired of being invisible, of being mistaken for our colleague or told our struggles aren't as real.
"I want better for my elders who worked so hard and sacrificed so much to make a life for themselves here. I want better for my niece and nephew and future kids. I want better for the next generation of Asian American athletes than to have to work so hard to just be "deceptively athletic."
So true. And, on top of that, there has been a rise in violence against Asian-Americans as of late, which brings me to today's story, as reported by rising national NBA reporter Shams Charania (who, in fact is younger than me, for what it’s worth):
What a terrible, insensitive comment made by a current G League player or coach. Such poor taste and character, and that person should be severely reprimanded, as the NBA should have a zero-tolerance policy with a comment directed at Lin, such as this one. And, on a related tangent, this Saturday Night Live sketch is more relevant than ever before:
4) Minor jersey mishap in Hawks - Thunder game last night
In a more positive note, there was a slight issue with the jerseys in last night's game between the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder. Let's see if you can see why:
If you can tell, it's hard to differentiate between the teams on the court. And, unfortunately for the Hawks, they only brought one jersey type to Oklahoma City. so, the Thunder team changed their jerseys at halftime:
I made an argument against clashing jerseys that have been worn by both teams in various sports over the years as of late in a previous “Snippets” post about a month ago and how it is a minor issue. I'm glad this one was resolved by halftime.
4) Injury replacements for the NBA All-Star Game
Minor story over the long-run, but we officially had our injury replacements made for two players (one in each conference) in the NBA All-Star Game that takes place on the evening of March 7th:
Kevin Durant is missing the game due to a hurt hamstring (he's missed the past several games already with the leg injury), and Anthony Davis has a slightly worse calf injury that also puts him on the sidelines. Because KD was announced as a starter, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been elevated from the reserves to one of the five Eastern Conference starters.
5) NBA Player Stat Lines:
🔥 Hot 🔥
PG Kemba Walker, Celtics (season high in points)
10-19 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 8-8 FT, 3 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 32 pts
SF LeBron James, Lakers (1 steal and 2 blocks from a 5x5!)
11-21 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 4-8 FT, 11 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl, 3 blk, 28 pts
PF Draymond Green, Warriors (career high in assists)
5-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 12 reb, 19 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 11 pts
C Richaun Holmes, Kings (season-high in rebounds; 15-15 game)
6-8 FG, 7-7 FT, 17 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 19 pts
C Clint Capela, Hawks (nearly a 20-20 performance)
8-11 FG, 1-4 FT, 21 reb, 1 stl, 4 blk, 17 pts
💩 Not 💩
SF Danilo Gallinari, Hawks (came back to Earth after his huge game two days ago)
2-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 4-5 FT, 5 reb, 2 ast, 8 pts
SF Robert Covington, Trail Blazers
1-8 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT, 10 reb, 1 stl, 4 pts
PF Chris Boucher, Raptors (did NOT step his game up replacing Pascal Siakam, who was a late scratch)
2-8 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT, 8 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 7 pts
6) What to Watch:
All Games are in EST
NBA
Dallas Mavericks (15-16) vs. Brooklyn Nets (22-12) at 8:30 PM on ESPN
A battle between three of the premier point guards in today's game: Luka Doncic vs. James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Like I said earlier, no Kevin Durant. But should still be entertaining and high scoring, as the Nets love to fly up and down the court. They have one of, if not, the best offense in the NBA (with how lethal their scoring is from beyon the arc). Let's see how the Mavs handle this red-hot Nets squad (winners of EIGHT straight games) in prime-time.
NCAAM
#14 Texas (14-6, 8-6 in Big 12) vs. $18 Texas Tech (14-8, 6-7 in Big 12) at 12:00 PM on CBS
An in-state rivalry game in Lubbock, Texas. With Shaka Smart's Longhorns pull off the road win to bolster their resume, or will star Red Raider Mac Mclung have other ideas, defending his team's home court? Find out at noon EST on ESPN! I have the Red Raiders winning by three.
#5 Illinois (17-6, 13-4 in B1G) vs. #23 Wisconsin (16-8, 10-7 in B1G) at 2:00 PM on ESPN
All of a sudden, the 2nd best team in the toughest conference belongs to the Fightin' Illini. However, they will be playing at a disadvantage in a road game at the Kohl Center, as star guard Ayo Dosunmu is out indefinitely with a facial fracture (suffered after being hit by a Michigan State freshman in the previous game). MASSIVE loss for the Illini, and us Maryland fans know very well about facial injuries (Darryl Morsell suffered one about a month ago). Wisconsin, on the other hand, is only in the Top 25 due to merit (there are at least 5-10 teams better than them that belong in the top 25). Despite that, I have the Badgers pulling off the upset, by 5.
Oklahoma State (15-6, 8-6 in Big 12) vs. #7 Oklahoma (14-6, 9-5 in Big 12) at 3:00 PM on ABC
Another in-state rivalry game in the Big 12 - this one pitting both Oklahoma schools. The Sooners are coming off a shocking loss to a then six win Kansas State squad, so they will be hungry for a bounce-back win in Norman, Oklahoma. The Cowboys, on the other hand, will want to extend their current three game winning streak to four games, with freshman Cade Cunningham (averaging 18 ppg in those wins) at the helm. I have the Sooners winning by one at home.
#2 Baylor (18-0, 10-0 in Big 12) vs. #17 Kansas (17-8, 11-6 in Big 12) at 8:00 PM on ESPN
THE matchup of the evening, pitting the undefeated Bears against Bill Self's Jayhawks. I believe the Bears will remain undefeated in this prime-time matchup, winning in overtime by 4.
That wraps up another Saturday edition of "Snippets". This post had three heavy topics worth mentioning to you all, and all for good reasons. Well, I hope you enjoy this last weekend of February, as I will do so, since it's officially my birthday weekend (technically, my birthday was on Thursay). Stay safe, mask up (double-time) and enjoy the warmer weather and longer daylight. Until tomorrow, signing off.