The Duke of Phoenix
Grant Hill, Duke '94 and of late of the Phoenix Suns, responds to a slur by a former opponent, Jalen Rose (which Ursula wrote about in a post earlier today). Mr. Rose was quoted in an ESPN documentary about the "Fab Five" -- five black stars of the University of Michigan basketball team that was defeated by Grant Hill's Duke team in 1992 -- as saying the only blacks Duke recruited were "Uncle Toms." I'll let Mr. Hill speak for himself. Here's a snippet, but read the whole story:
In his garbled but sweeping comment that Duke recruits only “black players that were ‘Uncle Toms,’ ” Jalen seems to change the usual meaning of those very vitriolic words into his own meaning, i.e., blacks from two-parent, middle-class families. He leaves us all guessing exactly what he believes today.
I am beyond fortunate to have two parents who are still working well into their 60s. They received great educations and use them every day. My parents taught me a personal ethic I try to live by and pass on to my children.
I come from a strong legacy of black Americans. My namesake, Henry Hill, my father’s father, was a day laborer in Baltimore. He could not read or write until he was taught to do so by my grandmother. His first present to my dad was a set of encyclopedias, which I now have. He wanted his only child, my father, to have a good education, so he made numerous sacrifices to see that he got an education, including attending Yale.
This is part of our great tradition as black Americans. We aspire for the best or better for our children and work hard to make that happen for them. Jalen’s mother is part of our great black tradition and made the same sacrifices for him.
My teammates at Duke — all of them, black and white — were a band of brothers who came together to play at the highest level for the best coach in basketball. I know most of the black players who preceded and followed me at Duke. They all contribute to our tradition of excellence on the court.
It is insulting and ignorant to suggest that men like Johnny Dawkins (coach at Stanford), Tommy Amaker (coach at Harvard), Billy King (general manager of the Nets), Tony Lang (coach of the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins in Japan), Thomas Hill (small-business owner in Texas), Jeff Capel (former coach at Oklahoma and Virginia Commonwealth), Kenny Blakeney (assistant coach at Harvard), Jay Williams (ESPN analyst), Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies) and Chris Duhon (Orlando Magic) ever sold out their race.
To hint that those who grew up in a household with a mother and father are somehow less black than those who did not is beyond ridiculous.
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Comments :
Re: The Duke of Phoenix
For Jalen Rose, one can only feel pity.
Jul '10
Re: The Duke of Phoenix
To hint that those who grew up in a household with a mother and father are somehow less black than those who did not is beyond ridiculous.
Of course it is. What Jalen did was note that he believed that as a teenager. It wasn't a slur. It was a description of his perspective at the time.
The fact of the matter is that nearly everyone with an ounce of ghetto in him hated Duke circa early 1990's. They beat Vegas, and the only reason they beat Vegas is because the refs ran Greg Anthony out of the game.
Besides, what decent person didn't hate Christian Laettner? (it's a joke Judith)
Jul '10
Re: The Duke of Phoenix
And so the logic of The Bell Curve is revealed as not a racial thesis, but a race-neutral thesis. The momentum of stable, intelligent, educated families - regardless of race - carries them in the opposite direction from dysfunctional "urban" black culture. To the extent that arguments over the nature of "blackness" (which was hinted at with President Obama's campaign) will become more vigorous. This is a precursor to a much larger debate that will play out over the next several generations.
Oct '10
Re: The Duke of Phoenix
I'm a Phoenix Suns fan and grant hill is still playing at a high level at age 37. One of the classiest individuals in the NBA.