Former Atlanta Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver has been making headlines in every NBA market today, but it has nothing to do with Utah Jazz's 11th-hour push for a higher playoff seed.
The 37-year-old Korver penned a powerful and deeply introspective account of his basketball life for The Players' Tribune, primarily discussing the hot-button topics of racism in the NBA and his own "privilege" while growing up in Pella, Iowa (roughly an hour east of Des Moines).
The article starts out with recollections of an infamous incident in New York City (2015), when Thabo Sefolosha – Korver's former teammate with the Hawks – incurred a broken leg while having a late-night/early-morning dispute with NYC police.
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This incident marred the Hawks' otherwise dream season of 60 victories and posting the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference.
Korver, a 16-year veteran with five different franchises, writes:
When the police break your teammate's leg, you'd think it would wake you up a little.
When they arrest him on a New York street, throw him in jail for the night, and leave him with a season-ending injury, you’d think it would sink in. You’d think you'd know there was more to the story.
You’d think.
But nope.
I still remember my reaction when I first heard what happened to Thabo. It was 2015, late in the season. Thabo and I were teammates on the Hawks, and we’d flown into New York late after a game in Atlanta. When I woke up the next morning, our team group text was going nuts. Details were still hazy, but guys were saying, Thabo hurt his leg? During an arrest? Wait — he spent the night in jail?! Everyone was pretty upset and confused.
Well, almost everyone. My response was ... different. I'm embarrassed to admit it.
Which is why I want to share it today.
Today's NBA features players from all parts of the globe, with each one possessing a uniquely wonderful story for getting to the ultimate level of basketball competition.
This radical sea-change for acquiring NBA-worthy talent, compared to just 25 years ago, has prompted Korver to reassess his views of the world now, compared to his formative years in the rural Midwest.
Korver's also been heavily affected by last month's racially-charged incident involving former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, who had a public altercation with two Utah Jazz fans ... who have since been banned for life from Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Here's one last excerpt from Korver's heartfelt piece:
There’s an elephant in the room that I’ve been thinking about a lot over these last few weeks. It’s the fact that, demographically, if we’re being honest: I have more in common with the fans in the crowd at your average NBA game than I have with the players on the court.
And after the events in Salt Lake City last month, and as we’ve been discussing them since, I’ve really started to recognize the role those demographics play in my privilege. It’s like — I may be Thabo’s friend, or Ekpe’s teammate, or Russ’s colleague; I may work with those guys. And I absolutely 100% stand with them.
But I look like the other guy.
And whether I like it or not? I’m beginning to understand how that means something.
