Marcus Smart has been very forthcoming about his experiences in the NBA, especially throughout the NBA bubble experiment in Orlando. During this time, players were fighting against racial inequality, and Smart was one of the biggest voices leading the way. Now that the season is over, Smart is reflecting on what he's been through over the past few years. In fact, Smart recently published an essay in The Players' Tribune called "This Article Is Not About Basketball," where he detailed his experiences with racism.
Perhaps the most harrowing story in the article came while he was leaving the arena after a home game in Boston. In the excerpt below, Smart says he recalls trying to help a Celtics fan as they were in the middle of traffic. Out of nowhere, however, the fan yelled racially charged language at him, which left the Celtics star confused, and upset.
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Per Smart:
"I was pulling out of the arena parking lot when I saw a white woman with her five- or six-year-old son crossing against the light right as the cars were starting to come at them. I had my windows down and realized something bad was about to happen, so I yelled to her, politely, that she needed to hurry and get out of the street so the two of them wouldn’t get hurt.
The woman was wearing an Isaiah Thomas number 4 Celts jersey. And there were all these other Celtics fans around who were at the game. I figured she’d be cool.
Nope.
She swung her head around and it was….
'F*** you, you f***ing n-word!!!!'"
Smart went on to describe various other stories of racism he has had to endure. While the Black Lives Matter movement has made various strides, it's clear there is still a lot of work left to do, and Smart is committed to continuing that fight.
[Via]
