Kyle Korver Explains His "White Privilege" & Racism In America

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Kyle Korver
Korver wants to open a dialogue about race in the NBA.

Kyle Korver is a veteran journeyman in the NBA who now plays for the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference. In a new piece for The Players Tribune titled "Privilege," Korver examines his own role in the NBA and how race plays a huge factor in what he does. As a white player in a league that is 80% African-American, Korver has realized that he occupies a different space that has him disconnected from what many of the other players have to go through. For Korver, he has certain privileges that his teammates just don't have.

"There's an elephant in the room that I've been thinking about a lot over these last few weeks," Korver wrote. "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."

Korver even talked about an incident that occurred in Utah this year, where a fan was banned for life after getting into an altercation with Russell Westbrook. The Jazz veteran says the conversation that occurred afterward opened his eyes to many of the struggles his black teammates face. 

"This wasn't the first time they'd taken part in conversations about race in their NBA careers, and it wasn't the first time they'd had to address the hateful actions of others," Korver wrote. "And one big thing that got brought up a lot in the meeting was how incidents like this -- they weren't only about the people directly involved. This wasn't only about Russ and some heckler. It was about more than that. It was about what it means just to exist right now -- as a person of color in a mostly white space. It was about racism in America."

The Jazz player finished by talking about how he needs to hold other white people accountable and that there is still a lot to be done before race relations get better.


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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