The answers have been shown to be one that is not absolutely clear, according to Kenny Smith. Former NBA player Kenny Smith declared that this week, he would conduct a call to action for NBA players to do something about the problems that has persisted in the United States that effect Black Americans, in particular murders conducted by police. He appeared on an ESPN Radio hosted by Dan Le Batard to speak about what he plans to do with NBA players. During the interview, he was asked repeatedly what he plans to do, but his answers were either vague or non-tangible–which has come to be expected with Black figures that have something to lose. Murders committed by race soldiers pretending to be police officers—by committing acts of genocide–in the United States against black people have been going on for over 100 years. However, in today’s climate, you can Facebook live stream these crimes, while justice remains to be unserved.

There is no consequence for the actions of race soldiers pretending to be police who murder citizens of the United States. Kenny Smith claimed that what he plans to do could be done in six months. The NBA in particular has a high rate of players who have no interest in doing anything tangible. We are bombarded with players engaging in less than delightful behavior. After the NBA finals, it was discovered that Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving had a party on a yacht that seemed to feature women in bikinis, but none of the women in attendance were Melanoid women. It has been labeled the “white girl only” party on social media. Over the weekend, a few power players in the NBA made Facebook post and tweets about what should be done (in response to the police killings of innocent Black people). While they gained a lot of retweets and likes, there have been no solutions that would pose a direct strike to the system of white supremacy and how that system is affecting the African American community. Also, the vast majority of these tweets and Facebook post showed they were quick to apologize for actions that have nothing to do with the empowerment of Black Americans collectively.

Why are they called “race soldiers? The term “race soldier” was a term coined by Neely Fuller Jr to describe white supremacists who are ALLOWED to get jobs as police officers. These race soldiers’ main objectives are to harm people of color, and most importantly, Black people. To further solidify the case that these are race soldiers, in 2006 the FBI sent out a memo warning city officials that their police departments have been infiltrated by white nationalists around the country.

One has to wonder how were these white supremacist allowed to become police officers? And how far down the line does this exist. If white supremacists are allowed to become police officers and they are allowed to get away with these crimes against humanity, then that means the police unions, the mayor, and other elected officials support them. This fact is blatantly obvious when race soldiers such as Daniel Pantaleo, Darren Wilson, and Asian police officer Peter Liang (who murdered Akai Gurley in New York City) are not charged. For professional athletes who want to do something, I would not suggest they boycott the NBA by not playing. I would not suggest they become shadow investors for empowering causes throughout Black Society. Find someone they can trust and help that person infiltrate the system to change the current conditions. We have enough basketball camps for kids; we have enough non-tangible ideas to last a lifetime. If professional athletes would like to do something, creating a mechanism of protection for Black people would help a lot. They could connect with grass roots organizations that are PRO BLACK, and collaborate with organizations in the inner cities who are trying to help Black people become economically sustainable with employment options and educational opportunities. The Black economy needs to be boosted as far as the access to sufficient employment opportunities. I do not believe in giving away money, I believe creating an option of access, which is something that the Black community needs.

If this becomes a circular instance of nothing being done, I would suggest that the general population of Black Americans end their support of the NBA or any other league dominated by black athletes. The black male professional athlete is 6% of the population, but makes almost 40% of the wealth in the United States collectively. If players are afraid that speaking out will get them black balled from the NBA or any other league, then it’s a safe bet to conclude that they are more than willing to work for white supremacists. No human being should be angry or worried about the loss of finances for helping other human beings who are in need. The idea that Black athletes supporting the communities from which they came is a bad thing gives credence to the notion that they are part of a slave system that has been created to ALLOW a small group of Black people enjoy wealth and empowerment but are not allowed to let that wealth and empowerment trickle down to the communities that brought them up. That is not something that is promoted or discussed with any other race of people’s wealthy class. Being that these things are not being persuaded in other communities shows you that there is a system of technical oppression that is being infiltrated amongst the African, Black American, and throughout the African Diaspora as a whole.

The Black Consigliere

For those who don’t follow sports, Bob “Bobby” Knight is a man who made his name in the sport of basketball, coaching major college programs such as Indiana University (where he cemented his legacy as a coach by winning three national championships), and Texas Tech where he coached in the twilight of his coaching career.

While the list of Knight’s on-the-court accomplishments appear to be plentiful, the opposite can be said about Bob Knight as a person off the court. In a 1988 interview with famed media personality Connie Chung, Knight appeared to celebrate the raping of women, stating that “if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it”. In spite of making such an atrocious remark, white society’s reverence for Knight remained as strong as ever. However, his star power would lose some of its luster in 2000 when the news broke that Knight was physically assaulting students. White supremacists and suspected white supremacists alike often dismiss accounts of Knight’s bigotry towards Black players–simply dismissing the coach’s shenanigans as a ‘competitive fire’ used to galvanize the players on his team. In 2000, a Black NBA coach by the name of Butch Carter (who played for Knight at Indiana U) wrote a book which claimed that Knight called his players “niggers”, including his soon-to-be NBA bound star player, Isiah Thomas.

It was written in Carter’s book that the coach “does not like educated, strong-willed Blacks”. This would probably explain why Knight has openly criticized the current climate surrounding the game of basketball, in which Black players are making unlimited amounts of money while taking the trajectory of their careers into their own hands.

Fast forward to last night’s primary in the state of Indiana, and Bob Knight steps forward to announce his endorsement of Donald Trump. “There has never been a presidential candidate prepared to the length that this man is. You will be helping our government take the first step toward what all of us want our government to be like”, the former basketball coach told the crowd of Trump supporters on hand.

While many people would overlook Bob Knight’s endorsement of Donald Trump as happenstance, it should be noted that suspected white supremacists of Knight’s ilk oftentimes have open access to Black youths–namely young Black males–where they become revered as “father figures” and mentors to these unsuspecting Melanoid youth…only for them to expose their suppressed white supremacist tendencies and hatred (for Black people) years after countless young Black men have been groomed and influenced by them. Bob Knight and his role in the lives of young Black men over the years highlights the desperate need for strong Black male leadership for the next generation of Black males.

B. Clark

For a number of years, the league has celebrated such occurrences as MLK Day and Black History Month. However, the Sacramento Kings organization took steps that have been deemed questionable in the eyes of many Black fans, and especially one particular Black player. Demarcus Cousins is a five-year vet who plays center for the Kings. Known affectionately to fans as “Boogie”, Cousins is considered one of the NBA’s elite players, perhaps one of its most outspoken as well.

Earlier this week (Feb. 1), it was announced by the Kings organization that they had planned to give away shirts commemorating the “Year Of The Monkey”, in conjunction with February 8th’s Chinese New Year. Cousins, sensing the suspicious intentions of his team’s marketing campaign, immediately stepped forward to announce his distaste for the t-shirt giveaway.

Photo of the shirts that were slated to be given away to fans this past Monday

According to the Sacramento Bee, the team actually had placed the “Monkey” t-shirts on seats in Sacramento’s Sleep Train Arena in the hours leading up to that evening’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Fans in the dominant society were outraged by Cousins’ stance on his team’s promotion, engaging in slanderous and sarcastic posts via social media. Below are just a few examples of the backlash that Demarcus Cousins received from white supremacists and suspected white supremacists alike.

#SacramentoKings deem 4000yr old Holiday insensitive? Donald Sterling effect? #demarcuscousins Valentines allowed? pic.twitter.com/XqZv44zdlQ

— Juan Dios (@whatdyouxpect) February 3, 2016

Same as the whole #DeMarcusCousins and the #YearOfTheMonkey bullshit! Chill. Overly sensitive society, who's 2 afraid 2 just call some1 out

— William Brett (@scenesetter91) February 4, 2016

By yanking the lunar year t-shirts, the Sacramento Kings have shown that they value Blacks over Asians. #SacramentoKings #demarcuscousins

— Johan (@johanbaka1) February 3, 2016

Pretty sure the #ChineseNewYear has been around longer than #BlackHistoryMonth get over it #demarcuscousins sheesh!!

— Joel Martin (@fatzmcboom) February 3, 2016

If you're offended by a purple monkey, you're a bitch. #demarcuscousins #nba #noteverythingisaboutrace

— Lenny (@mice_eatcheese) February 2, 2016

While people outside of Black Society were in an uproar over the teams’ decision to scrap the giveaway, it should be noted that the originally planned date of the giveaway coincided with the first day of Black History Month–a month in which all of the NBA’s players are already wearing pre-game warm-up shirts in honor of.

Given the longstanding history of white supremacists’ false claims that Blacks and monkeys are related and/or resemble one another, it was necessary that the shirts were not given to the general public. It was an even better move that the team’s best player (who also happens to be Black) stood up in opposition to what his team wanted to do.

B. Clark

In the late 1990’s, a popular mainstream media publication featured a very distasteful report that showed a collection of players (with the majority of the players being Black) in the NBA at that time who were being bombarded with paternity suits at the time. Of course, this particular article only helped reinforce negative stereotypes and imply that Melanoid men are incapable of being stand-up fathers to their children.Over a decade and-a-half later, a similar white media attack has loomed over the Melanoid men of the NBA who assume dual roles as athletes and responsible fathers.

Brian Windhorst, an ESPN reporter who’s also known for his extensive coverage of NBA superstar LeBron James, was on hand in Oakland, Calif  last night to interview recently-crowned NBA MVP Stephen Curry for a postgame press conference. Mr. Curry’s small daughter, Riley, was in attendance with him as he answered the standard monotonous barrage of questions required by every player to answer after games. Check out Stephen Curry’s daughter, Riley at the press conference:

Riley, being the small child that she is, became slightly playful and restless during the interview, and apparently, her innocent gestures during the press conference offended Windhorst, who took to Twitter by proclaiming his distaste for Curry’s daughter’s presence at the press conference table. He further elaborated upon his frustration by stating that all children should be banned from press conferences. Windhorst wasn’t alone in voicing his displeasure. The following Tweets show that his ESPN colleague, Ramona Shelbourne, felt the same way.

@joybenedict @WindhorstESPN Brian is right. It's unprofessional … But they are soooo damn cute no one has the guts to say anything

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 20, 2015

In this article, several Twitter users sided with Brian Windhorst, providing nitpicking commentary on how the players bringing their children to press conferences should be banned. Curry, who honored his father (former NBA player Dell) during his MVP award acceptance speech, did what many of us do not get an opportunity to witness often: A young Black professional athlete paying homage to his father, who played an active and supportive role in the athlete’s upbringing.

The NBA, which is apporximately 80 percent Black, and its players who are fathers who are easy targets as it pertains to this silly demand form Brian Windhorst. The majority of the children who sit with their fathers during press conferences are relatively quiet, and Riley Curry was an innocent exception. The objective of this story is that many of these white media figures take issue with these young Black men openly showing love and support for their children, which goes against their white supremacist written narratives about Black dysfunctional fatherhood. Not only does this apply to Black NBA players, but Black fathers in general.

by B. Clark