Story by
"Whitening the sport" - Stephen A. Smith claims NBA globalization is a move away from "The Brothers"
- Story by
- "Whitening the sport" - Stephen A. Smith claims NBA globalization is a move away from "The Brothers"
ESPN ace Stephen A. Smith and hoops icon Kevin Durant may have had their fair share of verbal squabbles. Still, the former recently expressed his support for the latter, saying the criticism of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball circuit is a subtle dig at Black Americans' dominance of the sport.
SAS took KD's comments a step further and commented that the NBA's efforts to globalize the sport are just a politically correct way of saying they're trying to "whiten" it up
Advertisement
Globalizing the brand
A few decades ago, the NBA was in a far different place. Games were on tape delay, and the league was struggling to attract a large audience. Fortunately, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird arrived in the 1980s, helping propel the NBA to new heights. Not long after, Michael Jordan came and pushed the league to new heights, especially in the 1990s.
Smith, though, claimed that while the NBA itself is aware that its growth hinged on the talents and marketability of the Black players who raised it, there have been many times that America hasn't been as receptive.
Advertisement
"The NBA — who has obviously supported these players and always has, from Commissioner David Stern to Russ Granik, the former deputy commissioner, to Adam Silver to Mark Tatum — these brothers and these men have supported these brothers," Smith expressed on "First Take." "But America hasn't always done so."
Smith furthered that part of the league's marketing efforts was to push white players to the forefront as well.
"When you talk about globalizing the sport, certainly money has everything to do with it. Okay. A lot to do with it," he added. "But the other part in globalizing your brand is whitening the sport too."
Advertisement
"Because when you've got the Luka Doncics of the world, the Dirk Nowitzkis before him, the Manu Ginobilis and others — because you didn't have enough white American players to excel on a level that could make the sport more profitable and what have you and you had to rely on the brothers," Smith stressed.
Terrific white hoopers are a rarity
Stephen A. hit the nail right on the head by saying that if players like Dallas Mavericks rookie phenom Cooper Flagg came around more often, he wouldn't be addressing this issue. However, since exceptional white hoopers are a rarity, the NBA has had to push stellar European players into the limelight.
Advertisement
"To globalize the sport, to have guys who were white European superstars is something that the NBA itself might have capitalized off of — lovingly so — because of profitability issues. But America and the world as a whole ingratiated itself with the NBA product because you saw folks who were white, even though they weren't from America," Smith pointed out. "If there were a bunch of Cooper Flaggs running around, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But they're rare. They're rarities."
SAS added that the recent U.S.-versus-the-World format of the All-Star Game was a hit because the Americans made it so personal. Aware of the narrative that international basketball was supposedly catching up to them, they showed who still reigns supreme on the hardwood.
"You know that brothers are going to step on the court with that attitude, and they're going to show effort during that level of competition, 'cause they ain't giving it to Europe no matter how bad Europe wants it," Smith stated.
Advertisement
Smith closed out his monologue by emphasizing that if America had its way, it would rather have the NBA's best players be white.
"If America has its druthers, it would rather not rely on the brothers," SAS conveyed. "We see it with the marketing of the NFL — who gets marketed. We see it with the marketing of Major League Baseball. Even though you do it with NBA players who are brothers, it's because you have no choice because they are clear-cut the greatest on the planet, and there is no wiggling around them."
The NBA is as inclusive as they come in professional sports. At the same time, being the veteran sports commentator that he is, Smith understands the game more than anyone and how racial undertones still exist.
Advertisement
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
