New Orleans Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy said white people are “racist” and need to change to help African Americans.
“We’re the ones that are racist,” Van Gundy told ESPN’s The Undefeated in an interview. “It’s a white person’s problem that affects people of color, and so we’re the ones who have to change. … Certainly you want to promote Black voices, right? But if they’re the only ones speaking out, a lot of people just push it aside. There needs to be people saying, ‘No, wait a minute. This is wrong, and we need to correct these things.’”
Van Gundy said that he is part of the problem, calling himself a “poster boy for white privilege.”
“I’m a poster boy for white privilege. I’ve led a privileged life, so I only know about these issues, and these problems, and these inequities from people I’ve been associated with, work with, know, care about,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t carry the issue. But just because something doesn’t happen to you, if it’s happening to people you know, if it’s happening to people you care about, you care about the issue.”
After an underwhelming stint with the Detroit Pistons that ended with his 2018 firing, Van Gundy was hired to coach the Pelicans in October. Despite him not being in the league over the summer of social justice protests, he was still chosen to be part of the “NBA Coaches For Racial Justice” committee, with Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers calling him a “phenomenal” social justice advocate.
“He was pushing coaches daily on what they should be doing,” Rivers told The Undefeated. “He was printing and sending us information daily about any social justice stuff. Any great speech. A great article about why we need social change. Why this is important. He talked a lot about this being an American problem and it doesn’t matter what color you are. Wrong is wrong and right is right.”
Rivers continued: “His passion was real, it was consistent, and it was awesome.”
Van Gundy was an outspoken advocate for social justice during his tenure with the Pistons, something Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said was a good fit for his young players in New Orleans.
“In an era like we’re living in, being someone who has a positive track record in the area of social justice was important, because it matters to players,” Griffin told The Undefeated. “His reputation in that space really spoke for itself. And I think when you look at everything that he has done, his action, not what he says, but the things he invests his time, energy and money in, I’m really proud that he is our coach. I think players respect him as a man for those things, and that matters enormously.”
The NBA has ramped up its social justice messaging in 2020, including adding Black Lives Matter messaging to players’ jerseys and the court during the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season. Meanwhile, players and coaches have also taken a more outspoken approach with their platforms.
But the message hasn’t appealed to the league’s fans, with the NBA suffering a consistent decline in ratings over the last year. The ratings plummet has continued into the new season, with the NBA’s slate of marquee Christmas Day games down 21% from last year.
“NBA Christmas Day ratings were off 21% from last year. NFL dunked on NBA head to head, nearly quadrupling the NBA audience,” OutKick’s Clay Travis tweeted about the ratings that day. “To be fair, the NBA had more viewers in communist China, however.”
