Charles Barkley Rips Stephen A. Smith For His Steve Nash White Privile

Stephen A. Smith set Twitter ablaze with his take that Steve Nash got his new job as coach of the Brooklyn Nets because of white privilege.

“This is one of the toughest positions I’ve ever had to take. Ladies and gentlemen, there’s no way around this. This is white privilege. This does not happen for a Black man," Stephen A. Smith said, arguing Nash's lack of coaching experience would have been disqualifying if he were Black.

A lot of folks were quick to point out that it's not atypical for a point guard with a reputation as a heady player to get a head coaching job without prior coaching experience. In fact, that is exactly what happened with Black former PGs Doc Rivers, Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher, and Isiah Thomas.

Charles Barkley pointed that out on TNT.

Charles Barkley sounds off on @stephenasmith saying Steve Nash got Nets job because of white privilege. #12Sports pic.twitter.com/HlkG3tPfOO
— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) September 4, 2020

“When you have a responsibility, especially when you have to talk about something as serious as race, you can’t be full of crap,” said Barkley of Smith’s take “You’ve got to be honest and fair.

“Steve Nash is a great player and a good dude. But I was so disappointed in some of these guys. I was like, ‘Dude, Black guys have done this before.’ Now, do we need more Black coaches in the NBA? Yes. Do we need more Black coaches in college football? Yes. Do we need more Black coaches in pro football? Yes. But this wasn’t the right time to say that today. Good luck to Steve Nash.”

What do you think?