We can’t hear it in the clip, but the (unofficial) NBA Central account accuses LA Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell of calling Slovenian Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic a “bitch ass white boy” after a confrontation on the court Friday night. The tweet has racked up more than 8,000 likes and the video has been watched 1.4 million times.
"B!tch a$$ white boy”
– Montrezl Harrell to Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/tlzxIFOerz
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) August 22, 2020
Last night Montrezl Harrell called Luka Doncic “a bitch ass white boy.” @GarysheffieldJr says if the NBA really wants to live up to their equality mantra, there’s a clear decision to be made here: Harrell has to be suspended. Strong column: https://t.co/D0v2seckQr
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) August 22, 2020
Gary Sheffield, Jr. writes in Outkick that Harrell ought to be suspended to demonstrate that all race-based insults are prohibited:
The solution here is simple, even if many won’t like it: the NBA has to suspend Montrezl Harrell and send a message that race-based derogatory comments like his on the basketball court won’t be tolerated. The NBA has already set this precedent with gay slurs on the court, why not with racial-based insults as well?
Montrezl Harrell’s comments have already spawned a million “If the races were reversed” conversations on social media and there is no doubt that if Luka had referred to Montrezl Harrell as a “bitch ass black boy,” that the social media condemnation would have rained down from the heavens on Luka. In fact, Luka would probably be suspended for the remainder of the season. He would be crushed, a social pariah in all of sports.
Those million “if the roles were reversed” conversations all have a point, although if this controversy were to truly blow up in the media, we’d have hot takes from our anti-racist authors and diversity trainers explaining that Doncic needed to look inside his own white fragility and understand where Harrell was coming from.
Of course, the whole thing allegedly happened on a basketball court with Black Lives Matters painted on it in giant letters.
I think we all know we won’t hear a peep from the nba
— Brandon Goldberg (@BGoldberg34) August 22, 2020
Great article. Either we are color blind/equal or we are going to decide which race is better.
Can’t have both.
— sabrecav (@sabrecav) August 22, 2020
Equal should mean equal if there’s ever going to be equality
— Hector (@RealtorHector) August 22, 2020
If roles were reversed Luka would be a Free Agent
— Devin Zaderiko (@dzaderiko58) August 22, 2020
How the NBA reacts, or doesn’t, will be very telling.
— Mike Hill (@MikeH_REI) August 22, 2020
Where is the big article about it on @espn pic.twitter.com/sVhoB71AAq
— Billy Mac (@billypenn2380) August 22, 2020
the NBA is only consistent at being inconsistent
— Sam Coley (@SamColey10) August 22, 2020
For some reason the equality test seems to consistently fail when the roles are reversed…
Isn’t reversing the roles the true definition of equality or does the @NBA just wanna print something woke on the back of a jersey?
Equality means equality
What would happen to Luka?
— Ollie (@bigblueollie) August 22, 2020
Been waiting for someone to stand up and say Harrell deserves to be suspended. If it was the other way around, a guy would be nearly kicked out of the league. I think a one game suspension is deserved here
— JBCVAZ (@JBCVAZ) August 22, 2020
Crickets. Guaranteed. Of course that hot take is completely dependent upon how China sees it.
— rightturnatalbuquerque (@rightturnatalb) August 22, 2020
Some interesting points here but I’ll wait until I hear @jemelehill TAKE before I pass my judgement
— Greg Rac (@graciopp) August 22, 2020
He needs to be suspended, because if this was the other way around the outrage would be out of control.
— JoeMarino (@marinjos) August 22, 2020
Absolutely agree but they won’t because they don’t mean what they say. It is window dressing.
— “Methuselah” (@DukeOfEarl5308) August 22, 2020
I’m going to not watch the NBA even more now
— Ryan (@BathTubby) August 22, 2020
Man IMAGINE if roles were reversed. This definitely wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard about it.
— Scooby Glines (@ScoobyG3) August 22, 2020
As long as both sides aren’t punished in a flipped scenario, I think it’s superb trash talk and everything’s great
— Ronnie Orie (@Rontron_21) August 22, 2020
What did Mark Cuban have to say about it?
— Lew (@Lew445445) August 22, 2020
Story has been squashed with no word of it from the major “news” outlets. Other way around and, it would be a fire storm with said white player banned from the league
— Scott (@scottxwolf) August 22, 2020
Luka says this, his sponsors cutting him, he’s suspended 20 games, would immediately be canceled, and would be booed endlessly by arenas
— Kyle (@Kyle8005882300) August 22, 2020
We’ll be curious to hear what ESPN has to say when it weighs in.
Related:
Good Humor tells ice cream truck drivers to immediately stop playing a popular jingle with a VERY racist past https://t.co/uBILYQBTmt
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 13, 2020
