Brand calls Rose's comment "ignorant"
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Brand calls Rose's comment "ignorant"
There's a lot of context around the recent ESPN documentary of Michigan's Fab Five, which aired Sunday. The documentary itself is riveting, but it seems to have taken on a life of its own with the comments from Fab Five member, Jalen Rose, who currently works as an ESPN analyst. (Also of note, Rose was an executive producer on the documentary.) If you don't have any background on this, basically here is your Cliff's Notes: ESPN aired a documentary about how Michigan's Fab Five influenced the culture -- basketball and otherwise -- during their time at Michigan in the early 90's.
Rose's comment within the documentary is as follows: "I hated Duke and I hated everything Duke stood for. Schools like Duke didn't recruit players like me. I felt like they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms."
OK ... so ... that was Rose talking about what he felt like when he was 17 years old. But he hasn't exactly backed away from the statement in the days since the documentary aired. What we're left with is a swirl of controversy (as well as a very interesting cultural subject) that has circled the NBA and mainstream in the last three days. This isn't an entirely new idea, stereoptyping black players who don't necessarily fit into the traditional stereotype of black players, but it's been interesting because Rose's comments were so straight forward and were regarding such a popular culture time (early 90's basketball, Fab Five, NCAA, etc).
Earlier today Rose Tweeted the following: "For those MOANING about how something or someone was portrayed in the doc note that it was FRAMED from 1991-93 not 2011 #quit crying." And then a minute later this: "I'm not speaking on what the players have to say ... I didn't say anything in the doc that I didn't say to the players FACE #fact."
All of this relates to the 76ers because starting power forward Elton Brand, of course, attended and starred for Duke for two seasons, until 1999. First, since this story has such legs, here are two links for everyone. First, former Duke star Grant Hill wrote an open letter to the New York Times, responding to Rose's comments. You can find Hill's letter here: Hill. But if you don't prefer to navigate away, here's this sentence that sums up Hill's feelings: "It was a sad and somewhat pathetic turn of events, therefore, to see friends narrating this interesting documentary about their moment in time and calling me a bitch and worse, calling all black players at Duke “Uncle Toms” and, to some degree, disparaging my parents for their education, work ethic and commitment to each other and to me. I should have guessed there was something regrettable in the documentary when I received a Twitter apology from Jalen before its premiere."
Another pertinent link is centered around Brand himself, who had an email exchange with a fellow Duke student when he chose to leave school early to enter the NBA draft. You can find that exchange here: Brand.
All of this leading into the following: I caught up with Brand before tonight's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Here's what he said about Rose's documentary comments, as well as his follow-up Tweet that "I didn't say anything in the doc that I didn't say to the players FACE."
Elton on his reaction to Rose's comment: "You know, I just know that it sounded kind of ignorant, but at that time he's 17 years old, that's how a lot of young adults are. I know people from where I was from felt the same way, you know? But I knew it wasn't true and guys using those words are kind of harsh: sellout or Uncle Tom. Just because their parents stay together or worked hard? That doesn't make sense."
Elton on whether Rose has actually expressed this belief to his "FACE": "It was a difference in cultures. Duke was a prestigious school and Michigan, well it's pretty academically sound itself, so, you know what I mean? But I think that was just the rivalry, he might have said that on the court to those guys and he definitely felt that way and if that's his opinion, then that's how he felt."
Have you felt that has been a battle for you your whole career: having a "good rap" and how that might be viewed?
"I love it. I love it. I really wish I did grow up in an affluent background, I really wish I did. You know what I mean? It would have been easier on my mom, easier on my family. For any race or culture, that's nothing to look down upon."
Do you see how certain factors (following rules, being on time, etc.), if you twist it around, can be viewed as selling out?
"Right, being affluent, being on time, trying to get education. But it's nothing to be looked down upon. At all."
***
Here's the take from after tonight's 104-94 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Andre Iguodala (right knee chondromalacia, irritation under the knee cap) was in the starting lineup on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Iguodala was first listed as day-to-day, then game-time, then probable, and there was really little doubt about Iguodala’s status after Wednesday morning’s shoot around when Iguodala said he’d piled up treatments, hadn’t been 100 percent all season anyway, and just needed to fight through the pain. He did. What was less certain than Iguodala’s status was the 76ers ability to forget back-to-back losses and figure things out against the lowly, but occasionally surprising Clippers.
On Wednesday night, in what was playing out to be an average NBA game, an interesting, physical, emotional game broke out.
It started with a breakaway by Clippers star Blake Griffin. Sixers Jodie Meeks and Tony Battie were chasing Griffin. Meeks ran in front and swiped backward at Griffin. Battie, trailing the play slightly, looked to be wrapping up Griffin to make sure he didn't complete the play. Battie appeared to be trying to hold Griffin up, keep him from falling, but Griffin seemed to misinterpret Battie' intentions and popped off the floor like he might go after Battie. Battie was called for a flagrant foul 1 (initially it was a 2, which means automatic ejection, but it was almost immediately downgraded).
Just before the half, with the Sixers having shot fewer team free throws (11) than Griffin shot by himself (13), Doug Collins earned two technicals and was ejected from the game with 15.8 seconds remaining in the second quarter. All of this extracurricular activity seemed to spur the Sixers, who scored 30 points in the third quarter and basically turned this thing into a pseudo-blowout.
In the locker room afterward, here's what Collins and point guard Jrue Holiday said about the game.
Collins: "I sure didn't want to get ejected, but I just thought I had to stand up. I just thought I had to stand up for our guys. And they were great, they responded, talked at halftime about how important this game was ... great win, I think with this win tonight we move to sixth ... again, I felt helpless in here watching it, but I was so proud of our guys. They were tough and got a great win."
Did he feel he had to stand up because of the free throw disparity?
"I have to be careful what I say, I don't want to get fined any more money. My grandkids are already upset at me and stuff like that, so I have to be careful."
Collins then turned it over to associate head coach Michael Curry. Also of note, and quite important, with tonight's win the Sixers are tied with the New York Knicks for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Here's what Jrue said about Collins' ejection and what it meant to the team:
"I think it definitely [energized the team]. It definitely riled us up, coach took a hit for us. We got his back, too. The least we could do is win the game."
Is that what you talked about at halftime?
"Yeah, I mean, we came in energetic and enthused and, I mean, 10 minutes left and they were still doing the halftime show and we were outside ready to warm up. So, we were definitely excited to get back out there and fight for coach."
Sixers fly to Sacramento tomorrow.
--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
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Comments (91)
Funny how people make it a racial issue regarding blacks, but then you have 4 black dudes insulting a white guy names Laettner, and thats not even brought up. If it was the other way around, you can be sure the 4 white guy would be singled out as racists. And by the way, what they were calling Laettner, if anybody looked that way, it was Webber, with his crying and carrying on, He was the P.— watsonmr- I have one possible problem with Jalen Rose and it is not him speaking his 17 year old mind...I just wonder if he did not have a middle class upbringing..his father was an NBA player named Jimmy Walker who was good back in the day...although I'm sure he was divorced from the mom. Maybe he is perpetrating like Vanilla Ice.— BCRock
- I'm not going near the 'Uncle Tom' statement one bit... All I wanted to is give a 'Shout Out' to E. Brand for donating to his former coaches cancer surgery - a very classy act of kindness! E.B. has not had the easiest time in Philly but he & Iggy veteran leadership are a big part of the turn around with the team. Seems like he received something from his Duke education while he was there. He definitely learned the value of being a good teammate & leader. When E. Brand compliments a coach for not playing him because he wasn't the best choice in the line up to win the game recently - speaks volumes! Best wishes to him & the entire team in the future!— highfive
- On the backs of which people do you think the founder of Duke University built his tobacco empire?— Gnip Gnop
- No shame in being an uncle tom. Some people are not Duke Blue Devil material.— The Philly Shadow
- you guys sure do sound stupid. its 2011. im a black alpha male, but who cares about this mess. grow up. the color that matters is green.— Bobby Digital
I'm not a Duke fan, but I do appreciate great college ball and Coach K is the best in the business...look it up. As for Jalen Rose, he could have, and should have been far more forceful in explaining how he feels now at 38 about Duke basketball and the players it recruits. I loved Grant Hill's little dig at the end: "I am proud that we never lost to the Fab Five!" THAT says it all.— The Monk- if you are not Black then how can you even have an opinion in this "family matter".
Because we are all people, aren't we? In my view, Rose proves that we are all equal. Blacks can, and do, possess all the same qualities that everyone else possesses. He was ignorant, arrogant, athletically talented, self-centered and ambitious. Not because he's black but because he's human. This specific ignorance came from his being born into the black culture, a fact that phillyroni acknowledges exists within the black community but refuses to allow others to address. And since Bill Cosby tried to address the situation from within the community and was attacked for it, how can anyone say the black community, as a whole or even a majority, cares to better the situation in which they find themselves. Unwilling to clean up their own house and unwilling to allow others to address the problems they see from the outside. Must suck to be you, eh?— BigDaddy3150 - When over 80% of your ethnic group is born to single (un-wed) mothers, OF COURSE you are going to have an unashamed deep seeded hatred toward anyone born into a marriage, with a father, that went to a school with a great tradition. The solid family offspring MUST be insulted and dismissed in order to validate the (dysfunctional) matrix of the 80% group. For more on this, read about Eubonics. I am Oppressed.— Nuutron
- Why does everyone want to make this into a racial issue? White kids from poor backgrounds don't get on coach K's team either. It's actually an OLD, OLD argument. It's just a matter of backgrounds. There's always been a conflict between groups of different backgrounds regardless of race. Factor in whether those people are successful later on in life, too, and you get 4 different groups which will always differ in their views of who is getting better treatment. There is no race factor here.— goeagles87
- for those who have no idea or concept of "the historic struggle" those will sound like ignorant comments. For those of us who have lived through the last 40-50 yeras of american race relations those comments can be understood if not excused. In the 70's we ALL considered Joe Frazier an Uncle Tom (and we know who wrote the book, but we also know what the term means to us)because he cowtowed to the anti-black, Frank Rizzo. Now that relations have improved somewhat and we have grown into adulthood our perspective has cahnged "somewhat". I personally still see "tomish" blacks in our society. I will still apply the term to any Black who uses the negative image of blacks to further his own interests.
I.E.> black republicans, Condi Rice ,, etc,, if you are not Black then how can you even have an opinion in this "family matter".— phillyroni - DonovanMcNabb - the real DMac would be embarrassed to read the BS you're shoveling here. This alpha male stuff is complete junk. You have a personal worldview so completely skewed - Duke, like Vanderbilt or Stanford, holds kids academically accountable. Most athletes, regardless of race, aren't blessed with the physical and mental tools to play Div I Top 10 basketball and study against Div I Top 25 academic competition. If you want to talk basketball and racism, why don't you talk about Coach Huggins (Cincy) and Coach Crum (Louisville)?!? They took basketball players first, many of them fitting the Jalen Rose profile, and virtually none of these players earned degrees, and but a handful made the NBA. I personally have no problem with what Jalen and the rest said. This is how they felt at 19, and perhaps still feel at some level. It's youthful ignorance at 19 and just plain lazy ignorance at 39. Jalen also came right out and said the Duke team "took it to another level" and flat out beat them in the National Championship game. He should be respected for admitting that for all their bravado/machismo/superiority complex/alpha male crappola they harbored going into the game, Duke earned their respect. Why does that get lost on everyone? I'll be Elton Brand didn't even watch the documentary and he's getting fed a quote and asked to comment.— bigtires
- Duke is deserving of Rose's elitist criticism. God bless him for speaking his mind. I just hope that ESPN does not fire him, since he is their best basketball analyst.— Beck
- It may have been what Rose was feeling at 17, but he didn't clarify any change of opinion since then. Since he was part of making the documentary and not just an interviewee, he must have had an opportunity to make the point clearer. If he didn't aniticpate a problem, why the pre-apology to Grant Hill. If Jalen's kids had the grade and talent to get into and play at Duke today, would he not let them because of his feelings from 1991-1992? Just curious if his opinion has changed since he was able to earn a little money.— kmon
- What Jalen Rose said was actually an understatement. Coach K's record of recruitment has remained seated with a deep bias towards white players and affluent/non-hood black players. In fact statistically speaking it is astronomically impossible that a school accidentally randomly picked such a cohort. Coach K even used the Duke logo without permission from the university for a fund raiser for Elizabeth Dole. To me it has always smacked of a strong racial and class bias,. Contrast this with his long-time rival down tobacco road, Dean Smith, who was first in the trenches in the battles for civil rights, who has fought alongside his activist wife against the death penalty, and has worked hard to make sure his often from-the-hood players developed into the best professional athletes and responsible men they could be. I would only admonish Rose for understating the obvious.— HeelYes
- So in you eyes coach K can't recruit his "own" players? You make it sound like this is a crime that he picks a certain type of player. Is he wrong for wanting white players? What are you saying? That white players can't play or that because it's basketball only black players should be recruited. I can name a ton of coaches who pick their own type of player. Doesn't Andy Reid do this? I like how you skewed your point to your own racist point of view.
— delcodanno - Why is it that no one wants to admit, or take responsibility for the ignorant fools that reside within their cultures? With the drop out rates what they are in Philly among "black alpha males", and both the mayor of Philly and the POTUS both being black, it is obvious that not all blacks are ignorant, lazy or as clueless as DonovanMcNabb. But who is going to claim the ignorant? Whether they be white, black or brown, no one wants to admit that they are ignorant fools in their races or cultures. They just expect the rest of us to look the other way and act like it isn't happening? You can see how well that's working in Philly these last 20 years.— BigDaddy3150
- To the author: Can you take a moment and ask Elton Brand about the link to the email you posted. As a long-time Duke follower, I recall that email being an urban legend that was a hoax. Elton Brand is married to a Duke alum, works Duke camps with Coach K, and his foundation supports programs in Durham. He wasn't Elton Brand NBA #42 on the alleged date of the letter you link to -- he was drafted in June of that year and he never signed things with his full name. At the time the Carolina website included it, there were also some other "hater" spoofs alleging relationships etc. I don't have the citation, but I recall reading in more than one place that Elton had nothing to do with it. Since you have access to EB, perhaps he can tell you the truth. If he did write the email, it would be news to many of us some 12 years later. (He went to the same high school as Gov Pataki in NY -- who refers to EB as the most well known grad in that town).— SarahSemprini
- Nothing like Rose to improve race relations...no wonder there's so much animosity between races with spokesmen like him.— dogman5
- get a clue everyone is racist in one wau or another...white ppl more so then others...but with that being said rose said how he felt because he was judged thru out his life...received hate mail...got hammered for wearing black socks like come on...how would u feel if u went to an all blk skool and couldn't enjoy ur type of music u like or wear the clothes u want to wear with out being thought of as a thug— popoff
- Jalen Rose is just another scumbag loser!— meltinlarrybok
- @SHULTZ99 is a racist, how can you say that about blacks do you know them all? so I guess all the black ball players, doctors, lawyers and other professions are lazy? I guess the president is also lazy? hey how about you stop being lazy and start using your brain or are you jus a racist?— will69
- No. 90% of them are lazy. Why do you think all the black neighborhoods are ghettos? The handful of good blacks can't even find a good black neighborhood becuase there are so few good blacks.
Could you name me just one black neighborhood in Philly that is neat, clean, safe and has good schools? There is not any.— shultz99 - wrong!! mt airy is a great neighborhood. so is laverock(a black suburb near cheltenham). so there you have it, not just one, but two examples for you. btw, those neighborhoods are much better then port richmond, fishtown, and northeast. fyi, atlanta is a black city that is ten times cleaner and safer then philly. i laugh at idiots like you. too easy
- Gotta love it. People crack me up. Ignorant is a good word ... but it really all goes back to bitterness. Rose being bitter that Duke didn't want him. Interestingy, rumor has it that Duke actually did recruit Chris Weber. Go figure. Now, the EBrand email exchange?classic material: "I would also like to extend an invitation for you not to waste your or my time ever agin. Never being considered a part of your posh group of yuppies really hurts me to the heart. Yeah, right. Because I don't care about you or your alumni." I can only imagine that lady's response. "Well, I never ..." Lol!!— PhiladelTodd
Comment removed.- How long was this? Just asking, we knew about that then, give me a break.— crow-towes
- Words that should be totally removed from out language....on is n______, the other is uncle tom.....ONLY ignorant people use either.....as to Grant HILL.....NO apologies necessary for parents who stayed together, worked hard, got and education and wanted their kid to go to a good school acadmically and be involeved with a great BBall program.......as to Duke....been there....had a kid go there....Yes, they are little snobby, but so are all schools (Princeton, Standford etc) who are proud of their accomplishments...Life is not jsut about basketball.....and if it is you live a sad and ineffective life........Rose should have by now risen above his tragic background.......He did no service to his peers or those who see him as a role model.......You can take the kid out of the country but you cannot take the country out of the kid....sad— nuggett
- The comments by Rose are the reason Black America is in the toilet. Most blacks do not respect success. They actually complain about success. Blacks equate success as acting white. The real problem is blacks are too lazy to do the right thing.— shultz99
- RACIST plain and simple!!!!! If people can't see that than Stevie Wonder says hello. If a white kid said those same comments, you'd have every black player in the league/world wanting him to be fired and deported someplace. Typical black athletes refusing to call another black athlete what he really is, and that's a piece of sh*t!— twpman1
- Jalen Rose should just be grateful for having the ability and opportunity to have gotten to where he is...and STFU.— tndmrtr
- kudos to ej610 and Section 730. well said. this whole thing is about differences between 2 sets of blacks. not a black/white thing. that's not to say that prejudice does not abound in this country. everyone is guilty of it to some degree. white people are an easy target here--and some, deservedly so. but this is a black prejudice against other blacks. period. and for the record, i like jalen rose a lot. i think he is very smart and has some well-thought positions. i interpreted this whole thing as jalen commenting on his 17-year-old self.— esesjay
- @ donovan mcnabb - wha? Your theory sounds like something Glenn Beck would come up with. Offensive, bizarre and divorced from reality.— freesamuel
- Okay, enough about the 90's!?! What a game last night! I can't believe the star treatment Griffen was getting. He already has learned how to act and flop at age 22. Lost a little respect for the guy actually, esp his brutal foul shooting. Guess his star shines much brighter as a SportsCenter highlight than in game situation where he got schooled (shall we say DUKE'D) by Brand, the former big name PF of the Clippers.
Good win all around and nice to see the players show some intensity on an otherwise lackluster trip!— pzales - It was so much easier in the early nineties to identify everyone when we had Boom Boxes 20 years ago. Now a with i-pods college interviewers don't know if a prospective student is listening to RAP or Classical.— Joe at the shore
- I guess Jalen won't let his daughter go to Duke. Guess the message is don't get educated, work hard, or have any values because you will be selling out. Great to see quality humans like Elton and Grant trying to set the right example for our young people!! Just another angry millionaire...What a dope!— luvphillysports
- As an African-American who attended a predominantly white University, I can truly understand what Rose was saying. That was a common way of thinking from the 60's through the 80's. Again, it speaks more about culture than race. Also,it reflects differences in the two schools' approaches to recruiting. All schools try to recruit students that will be successful at their school. Seems like Duke is pretty successful.
I have no idea what DMac is tryingto say.— Duracorr - @DonovanMcNabb, well put sir, the rest the posters don't have a clue, they're the ones w/ "horse blinders" on.— jboogiebrown23
- "You know, I just know that it sounded kind of ignorant, but at that time he's 17 years old, that's how a lot of young adults are. I know people from where I was from felt the same way, you know?
This is Brand's EXACT QUOTE. Yet the heading of this article reads, Brand Calls Rose's comment "ignorant". "kind of ignorant" and "ignorant" are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. But you get that reader response philly.com, anything for a non-story about a 20 year old comment made by a then 17 year old.
— Facts before ignorance - Another scathing racial comment about a largely white, LIBERAL university. Remember when Uncle Jessie Jackson went down to Duke to publicly lynch 38 white lacrosse players? Well, those crackers were publicly lynched by their professors (mostly liberal crackers) and a significant part of the student body (again, mostly liberal crackers). Turned out when the "dancer" was caught lying only after the cracker DA got caught hiding testimony were those clowns exonerated. I don't know if Jalen Rose graduated from race-based Michigan University (Jalen took cash which means he broke rules--very un-Uncle Tom-like) but good for him that things worked out for him.— 5280philly
- Comment removed.
- fan you are a fool it has nothing to do with the black community, in the last 10yrs you have more white kids drop out of school at an alarming rate, what it has to do with is parents and family not race, if you are not in your childs life then they have a very bad chance of succeding, and Donovanmcnabb stop using the name of one of the greatest QBs to ever play because you are INSANE— will69
- Most people are missing the point, Rose's comments were not about race, they were about class and money. If Rose were white and said the same thing about white Duke players, it would have had the same meaning but the race card never comes into play b/c terms like "black" and "uncle tom" aren't introduced. It's about "have" and "have not's". Rose is saying Duke doesn't recruit "have not's" which in fact is largely true. I don't see what is so controversial. Other schools do the same (e.g. Ivy League). Rose is just being honest saying he didn't like Duke and the rich kids because he wasn't recruited by them and had no similarities culturally. Hill/Brand have more commonalities with white Duke players than black players like Rose and the people he grew up with. Again, the uncle tom part is a result of the class/money divide, not out of any conscious effort made by Hill/Brand or their families.— DennyP
- chris webber was recruited by duke and michigan. did that make him a "sellout" and "uncle tom" ??— michael57
- Now you know the REAL reason Rose wasn't recruited to Duke...— tbrenpsu
- Comment removed.
- What the heck is Donovan talking about Alpha male this and Alpha male that. Do you think we are part of a wolf pack? This is human society. You know what it takes to get to the top? Education, power, and wealth. Which Duke resembles. If Jalen did not get into Duke, obviously he is no any "alpha male" material. The whole argument holds no water.
"stay true to your roots or don't forget where you come from" is a BUNCH OF BULL. You tell me if you gave people in the hood an option to have an education, good job, good pay, nice house and car, vs. their current condition, which one would they pick?
It is human nature to better one self, whatever Jalen says is out of jealousy and envy.— penncrow19 - Within the black community there has always been hatred for those black individuals who get out of the community, make a better life for themselves and their children.
The individuals who are stuck in the rut of being single parents, poor and uneducated are the ones who are jealous of other's success.
I don't mind being called an Uncle Tom by some guy who has 3 illegit kids with 3 different women and a GED. In fact, I'll tip him the next time I go through the drive through.
PS
Have you ever seen Jalen Rose's grades? I'm willing to bet he's half the student that Grant Hill was...just like he was half the basketball player Hill is.— PHL Insight - If you PHL Insight, are indeed a Black Man then you sir are the very definition of an "Uncle Tom". The mere fact you look down upon those in your race that have not achieved success and distance your self from that reality. So sad. I have 2 college graduates and one in private school. You give back to the community from which you came. Each one, teach one ring a bell? Probably not. Pathetic — Facts before ignorance
- I find it hard to believe that Grant Hill even watched the documentary. Rose was speaking about how he felt as a teenager and he gave a shockingly honest reason why he felt that way: Hill had everything he did not. The fact of the matter remains that the "Fab Five' was unapologetically street, deeply submerged in the hip-hop culture of the early '90s. The black players on Duke's team were not. The Fab Five played street ball in the university; the Duke team did not.
As for Hill's letter, it is indeed the typical the black bourgeois response: state your offend at called an Uncle Tom, state that is ignorant and then discuss your accomplishments. Never once recognizing that in mainstream culture some blacks are rewarded (or pat on the head) for assimilating. That's not a criticism, it is what it is.— Monica Kaye - This DonovanMcNabb poster as is clueless as the guy he named himself after. Real McNabb also lives in the outer space. What a moron. And trust me I don't usually do name calling. How is it between whites and blacks if Rose (black) hates Hill (black)? I'd think one can see what it is all about - blacks hate whites, but they hate blacks who are different even more. Simple as that.— hollandpa
- Comment removed.
- The "Fab Five" left this legacy: no championships, major rules broken, a program in tatters. Duke players left this legacy: championships, and a thriving program and tradition of success. So the bitter "Failed Five" produce a revisionist documentary to deflect the blame for their own shortcomings, and to criticize people who did it better. And hey, "DonovanMcNabb", grow up and learn something. Get the chip off your shoulder and look out from under your rock: black men and women are succeeding all around you, by working hard, just like the successful people from every other ethnic and racial group in a diverse society. Guys like you, sitting on the couch and blaming the man for keeping you down, exist in every ethnic and racial group. You have no monopoly on disappointment. You want to see the problem? Look in the mirror. I bet you thought Iverson was right to blow off practice, while at the same time other guys from similar backgrounds were working hard and winning championships. Ignorance abounds.— Section 730
- In 92, David Duke, the grand wizard of the KKK, was running for the republican presidential nomination. I remember a lot of players relating the college name Duke to him. If a guy was wearing a Duke cap, they assumed he was supporting David Duke. I think it's a case of the school getting a bad rap because of their name.— ej610
- The irony is, now that Jalen Rose is a millionaire, his kids are exactly what he hated when he was a child. I wonder how he'll feel if his own kids are called uncle tom's.— ej610
- So basically Jalen Rose is saying you're not really black unless your parents have a broken marriage, you come from the hood, and hate white people.— ej610
- Comment removed.
- @Phazed: you, as a white man have no idea what the black family 'pushes' or 'promotes' amongst its youth so you have no right to assume that we don't tell our kids to focus on education and future planning. 'You all' accuse us of playing the race game when we point out biased statements such as yours; rather than admit that many of you are racist you don't even know it. In your post you just made a broad generalization about black families and you have NO PROOF or first-hand knowledge that you're right! I'm black--and proud of it because clearly being black in these United States is not for the faint of heart. I grew up in a single-parent household in Philadelphia and was taught, constantly, that getting a great education was my first priority: to be a lady and behave accordingly. To know when to shut-up and listen when people are trying to tell me something useful, not to rush into sex, avoid the wrong crowds, etc. And you know what? I did ALL of that! I happen to know many-a-black-child who grew up in that same environment back then and many black children are being taught that same philosophy today. STOP PAINTING US ALL WITH THE SAME BRUSH. STOP BELIEVING EVERYTHING YOU SEE AND HEAR ON TV. For all of you to be so smart, why don't you know that what you see on TV is *for entertainment purposes only*?? As far as this article is concerned, Brand has no right to disagree with Rose's comment: clearly they had different experiences. However what Rose said about Duke is largely true amongst predominantly white colleges: its simply a matter of perception. And its not growing up in a two-parent home, or having two nickels to rub together that makes some black men Unlce Toms: its the very behavior that Brand displayed: not knowing when to speak up on behalf of one of your own versus offering unwarranted criticism or forgetting who you are.— getoveryourselvesjeez
- strongest alpha i've ever seen in the sport was john thompson at georgetown (who earned a lot of respect all the way around). did he sell his soul by learning much of his craft under auerbach and smith? did his players sell out for playing for a guy who ran an incredibly structured program that controlled so much of their activities?— rzzzzz
- your saying that race played a role in how duke picked it's players and i'm saying it's not race but culture. they don't want kids who are exposed to crime, drugs and violence who are capable of integrating that into their school. it doesn't matter what race the kid is. what matters is what does he bring to the school. and for duke it's not all about basketball. you're playing the race card when it doesn't apply and you're doing it with Duke because they're winning. i don't hear anyone complaining about Princeton picking the best athletes over the best combination of athletes and students.— 76ers in 2076
- im defending jalen rose for his comments because he made a valid statement that is being spun to make him look a certain way (i.e. conform to a white alpha male's power/will).
you can call it culture, i call it race because its all a perception. read my above posts and you will get the message— DonovanMcNabb - i just want to get this straight- Duke wanted to bring on athletes who were well raised in two family homes, intelligent and good basketball players. They didn't want to bring on troubled kids (and i said kids mcnabb b/c they don't have "token" black athletes- most of their athletes are black!) who weren't as educated and might cause more trouble for the program (just like jalen did being caught in a house with drugs and just like he and webber did taking money before being pros). And that makes them bad? oh by the way-THEY WON!!!!!! They beat the tough inner city kids. Not only did he pick the kids who were most likely to represent the school the best and make the most of their educations.....he picked the kids he knew he would most likely win with. And if we're going to play the race card- i didn't see him going after the birdman, or jason williams (white chocolate) or any of the poor troubled inner city white youths either. How dare the black kids go to a school where they could get a good education in case their basketball careers don't pan out. Hey wonder if Jayson Williams (the black pg from the 90s) regrets getting his education at duke after his motorcycle accident. Maybe he should have gone to Michigan and left after 2 years. Ernie has it right- there's racism here but it's not from Duke.— 76ers in 2076
- jason williams white chocolate is an example of a white person subserivent to black person. his style of play was a black style of play that he created and he was second fiddle on that team to Chris Webber. The Old Chris Webber. 25-15-5.
what is your perception of intelligence— DonovanMcNabb - As a dark-skinned male, I find "DonovanMcNabb"'s screen name confusing considering you probably would've considered him a sellout too. Look at the real Donovan's family background, middle-class upbringing, etc. Truth is, you don't know what you're talking about. It's reverse racism we're saw from 17 year old Jalen. Since then, he's made millions from the larger "white" culture, so get over it. Money and fame helps gain a great deal of power, and now Jalen Rose has a national audience discussing his feelings from when he was 17. How many of the rest of us, black, white, or green can say that? It's not 1895 anymore, and all races in this country have a great deal of opportunity, although there is still racism among whites, blacks, hispanics, asians, etc. Doesn't mean any groups is being truly held back- like say in many nations, where you can't even have citizenship being born there if you're not from the right race/ethnicity.— xing
- Donovan McNabb is a hero, role model and an icon. His 'feud' with Mike Shanahan was rooted in power and race. Donovan McNabb , the black alpha males team or Mike Shanahan, the white alpha males team. Michael Vick the black alpha male, redefining the quarterback position. Allen Iverson creating a generation of basketball players introducing the crossover, the cornrows and even being told by the NBA not to release his rap album because it would make him "too black". Donovan grew cornrows to fit in more with Terrell Owens. Andy Reid took Donovan into the team and they made each other. That is an example of power, race dynamics working to the fullest. — DonovanMcNabb
- jalen rose is attacking the perception of duke as a white alpha male only school with token black alpha male players. nolan smith is the token black (alpha)male on the team— DonovanMcNabb
- the problem is people who are offended were not part of the dialogue inthe late 80's and early 90's in the black community. If you ever listened to hip hop music in the 90s you would have been able to hear some of that dialogue going on about selling out. In this case if you did hear Jalens rose full convo he said Duke (a private school) only recruits kids from a certain background i.e. ball players from private schools,2 parent households. He also stated he understood why they did it and wasn't mad at DUKE for that. He also admitted that some of the dislike for those black players was due to his own background and not having the same opportunities as grant hill and other black players had. He was a honor role all American bball player from a public school that didn't get a glance by DUKE. People need to stop being sensitive and open your ears, Elton Brand even said he understood the nature of the comments.It was a documentary not a testimony— ummah26
A thousand years from now there will still be a 'race problem'... Looks to me like some people prefer it that way...- If Elton Brand came from a single parent household and an impoverished background, doesn't that make him the type of player that Rose says Duke won't recruit? I'm confused. I did love his email response to that idiot Duke grad who criticized him for leaving school early for the NBA. Some people are unrealistic in their expectations.— mjc1
- not having to do anything with the perception of a one parent household, two parent household, two gay lesibian parents, foster families, brangelina and madonnas kids. this has to do with POWER and DUKE saying we dont want BLACK ALPHA MALES AT OUR SCHOOL. YOU CAN TAKE YOUR LONG SOCKS, BAGGY SHORTS, BALD HEADS, RAP MUSIC AND CHANGE THAT INTO SHORT SHORTS , NIRVANA MUSIC AND COMPLIANCE WITH COACH K OR YOU CANT PLAY FOR US — DonovanMcNabb
- DonovanMcNabb- You need to buy a clue and take off the horse blinders— jamarder
- Fan, why does your type seem to always bring in the race factor? It's always the white guy trying to control the black guy. Bullcrap! Does it have anything to do with either of them trying their best to win and therefore getting the attention they need to go on to the next step? Many of you call us racists but in truth there is no one more racist then you! Man, get a life! The slavery days are long gone! By the way, for how long were you held in slavery to the plantation owners in the South? You are missing the point!— erniebanks14
- OK...
I am 51 years old. I live in Seattle, born in North Philly.
The Civil Rights Act was not signed until I was 3.Even when signed, there were places where Black people could not vote until when I was around 10. At 12 or 13 I remember reading about a Man being lynched. I remember being chased by angry whites because I wanted to skate at Elmwood Skating Rink.Never in trouble.Served my country.My daughter is a teacher and my son is a union laborer. I got a good job,yet most of you would want to move if I moved next door to you. No he wasn't held in slavery, but the affects of slavery still is a factor. Now Brother McNabb watch how many people attack me now(lol). Again no exchange of ideas, just hate. - "unappreciatiev black athelete"
"education"
you are missing the point. whites want people think this is about education but this about power. read my above post. its all psychological projection and products of our minds. tigers woods "fall" last year was a product of white alpha males projection their thoughts onto woods because he had a bad night and controlled him the entire year. because he was "a bad golfer" in their eyes, this is what he was he could not break the mind control until he realized it was just all mental— DonovanMcNabb - Brother McNabb, you can't win here. These people hate you. The hate that is on this page is on here everyday. It could be a story about Mars and somehow it will be Nutters fault, Obama's fault, hell your fault. There is no exchange of ideas here, just hate everyday.
- Just another racist comment by an unappreciative black athlete. His talents on the court have helped him to be successful in life, yet his upbringing tries to tear down what is good. Why strike out at education, secure family structure, good work ethics, etc.? Just because you did not have that you earlier you try to tear it down? These are things that need to be encouraged. I am obviously white and i have no idea why the black community does not push education and a strong family structure. Parents need to be role models and encourage thses things. Your chance of making it into the NBA are miniscule or any other professional sport. Drugs are not the answer either. its time to get the kids in school and help them study and learn in order to be successful.— PHAZED
- nothing to do with parents, role models, bus drivers, chefs, ball boys, preisdents, dictators, psychics, pluto, earth mars it has to do with POWER with BLACK ALPHA MALES AND WHITE ALPHA MALES — DonovanMcNabb
- Everything isn't about what you're saying. This is all you know, so you tie everything to what you claim. Funny thing is: Rose and the ones he criticized at 17 were all black. It wasn't about blacks and whites, it was about a young black man and other young black men. Other than that, please get an education. — xing
- Wow DonovanMcNabb. Talk about a skewed outlook on life. I'll bet there will be plenty of interesting comments to follow regarding your strange view of race relations in this country. Geez.
- This is the power struggle between the black alpha male and white alpha male that goes on a daily basis. the white alpha male seeks control and power over the black alpha male because they fear being subserivent to them. that is what makes an uncle tom an uncle tom. having a black person "under" a under a white person. think gene upshaw and paul taliguablie. black face but in reality he never had any power because tagliuable had control, influence over him. think michael vick running the football versus being a more pocket passer because it makes andys reids heart flail more when he sees vick take control over his team. think kobe bryant shaving his afro to look more raceless. think chris berman having power over tom jackson and jackson pushing for black alpha males on the show such as keyshawn and chris carter on the show.think duke who recruits white boys on their team and has the token black kid just for show. more obviously think skip bayless trying to control the conversation and comments by jalen rose on the show first take beacause he fears the black alpha male taking over him and making him (white alpha male) feel weak and inferior.— DonovanMcNabb
- What you talking bout Willis? — kxopsu
- kxopsu- "Donovan" doesn't know what he's talking about. I'll tell you what the real black and white leaders of the world are doing today: they are CEO's of companies, they are the president of the most powerful nation on earth, and they are leaders wherever they are. Rose's comments had nothing do with being an alpha male. He may want power, but he doesn't have it. He worked within an organization under others. The term "alpha" has to do with the male wolf leader of a wolfpack. The alpha wolf works his way to the top through intimidation and killing. It doesn't work that way in human society. You don't succeed for long by intimidating and killing- you may do it for a while like the Stalin/Hitler/Kim Jong Il/Ghadafi/Hussein/Idi Amin- see it exists in every race, but sooner or later it falls apart. Humans need to negotiate and work things out in a peaceful society, but many of the peaceful societies of the world were set up by white men. Black and white men work together in our country to make things work, regardless of differences. Attacking those withing your own race doesn't have anything to do with that. "Donovan's" terms are flawed. It might do him some good to go watch some TLC/Animal Planet/Discovery channel. — xing
- @fan, did you go to duke? have you been to Duke? Do you even know where Duke is located or ever been to North Carolina?
How in the hell do you know what was said about Duke is 100% true?— tremo12 - Jalen Rose just spoke what he felt was the truth.Unfortunately not everyone is afforded the blessing of being born into a well educated family. Grant Hill was, Jalen Rose apparently wasnt.
What Jalen Rose said about Duke is 100% the truth, Rose shouldnt have gone down the "Uncle Tom" road though.Again imo that gets back to lack of education/poor upbringing more than anything else.
Grant Hill what an awesome response on his part.— argonne - How clueless are people? Jalen Rose said that is what he thought THEN, at 17 years old. Those where his honest thoughts back then. Geez, why do people have such issues with people speaking their minds? — JonKap
- JonKap- People have every right to disagree with what he said at any age. Why do YOU have such an issue just the same, with people speaking their minds? — xing
-
"Rose shouldnt have gone down the "Uncle Tom" road though"
- this makes you uncomfortable to talk about because you dont want to admit you feel weak to black alpha males— DonovanMcNabb - This is such an ignorant statement. — xing
- The term Uncle Tom was created by a black person who observed the submissive/subserivent behavior of another black person under a white person. — DonovanMcNabb
- Really?!! You just proved your ignorance. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the book. She was white, called Uncle Tom's Cabin. It might help you to look up the book and read it. Learn to listen and learn before you start spouting off. The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes said something to the effect that we have two ears so that we should listen more and one tongue so we can speak less. — xing
- Really?!? How do you know that she coined the term or just used a term that she heard used?
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John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
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