The NBA world has been debating about Phil Jackson’s use of the term “posse” in a short rant about LeBron James, lately. James publicly maintained that he lost respect for Jackson, implying that the New York Knicks’ president used a racially-charged term.
Leave it to Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy to bring out the nuance and logic:
“It makes you all think. I think that we’ve all got to become aware of our language and attitudes. I’m going to be perfectly honest here. I’ve used that word before, OK. And when that all came out, I had to ask myself ‘Have I ever used that word before with a white player?’ And the answer is no. I think, look, you have to be aware a little bit of your own biases if you’re going to overcome them. I took that seriously. I understand why it’s offensive. I’ve never used that word publicly with anybody but I have used it in just talking to people I know and things like that.
It has never been in conjunction with a white player. So I think at a time where you’re going to call out other people on attitudes you need to be willing to look in the mirror and call yourself out. I don’t think I’ve used that term in a long, long, long time but, I think going back to my days as an assistant when I was younger, I know in the past I have used that term. I’m just being honest. It’s not right.”
Stan Van Gundy has always been great talking about these kind of topics. Like he says, using that term does not necessarily mean that the person is racist. However, using racially charged terms, even subconsciously, is just as offensive. Jackson can make this all go away with a simple apology.
