Stephen A. Smith rips ‘White executives’ who lack Black staff with ‘cachet’ to settle star feuds

Stephen A. Smith has another word of advice for the NBA’s “White” executives: Hire more Black employees with “cachet” who can settle disputes among Black stars.

The ESPN analyst who lamented the lack of Black coaches and executives in June — along with the passivity of Black athletes on that matter — returned to the issue Thursday on “First Take.”

“It’s not about numbers, it’s not about bodies,” Mr. Smith said, Mediaite reported. “It’s about individuals of African American descent, employed by those organizations and what kind of power and influence are they truly granted to cultivate relationships and make a difference.”

The host specifically focused on a feud between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green during the Golden State Warriors’ 2018-2019 season.

Mr. Smith insisted that head coach Steve Kerr and team president Bob Myers failed to reconcile the men because they lacked the right Black employees.

“There was no one of African American descent that had any kind of cachet within the organization in folks’ eyes that could have brought KD and Draymond together,” Mr. Smith said. “That’s the perception leaguewide no matter where you turn. … The players notice this kind of stuff.”

Mr. Smith previously blasted league stars like LeBron James for not pushing for more Black representation in positions of authority.

“I wanna call out the NBA players. You got something to say about everything else. Where you at?” Mr. Smith said in June. “There ain’t African Americans that have been toiling through the terrain and trying to become executives in the National Basketball Association? Last time I checked that’s the case. We see [assistant] coaches on the sidelines — they don’t want to become head coaches? They’ve been assistants for years.”