NBA legend Steve Nash has rejected the notion that his appointment as Brooklyn Nets head coach is an example of 'white privilege' in an industry calling for social justice in the United States.
As Brooklyn general manager, Kiwi Sean Marks was caught in the crosshairs of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement last week, when he appointed his former Phoenix Suns teammate to the role, ahead of more qualified African American candidates.
At a time when police shootings have the black community demanding social change, outspoken ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith pulled no punches with his accusations.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there's no way around this," said Smith. "This is white privilege - this does not happen for a black man."
Marks formally introduced Nash - twice NBA Most Valuable Player in 2005-06 - as Nets coach on Thursday morning (NZ time), but did not address the 'white privilege' charges.
Instead, those questions fell to Nash, who acknowledges he has 'skipped the line' in terms of serving an apprenticeship as an assistant coach before rising to the top job.
The Canadian point guard has no previous coaching qualifications, but has worked individually with some of the game's best players, including Nets superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
"I did skip the line, quite frankly," says Nash. "But at the same time, leading an NBA team for almost two decades is pretty unique.
"While I haven't necessarily learnt some of the skills that I'll definitely seek to understand as far as the technical aspects of coaching, I was never far from that.
"To lead a team in such a unique position, to be the head of the team on the floor, to think on the fly, to manage personalities and people and skillsets, to bring people together, collaborating with a coach and coaching staff for almost two decades… it's not like I was in a vacuum.
"I haven't grinded it out as an assistant coach like many people have, but there's a precedence for players that have strong careers, who are leaders and thinkers, to get this opportunity… to great success.
"I understand that I did skip the line in many respects, but at the same time, there are some experiences there that other people just aren't going to have, because of the type of career and length of career I had."
The best current example of this career path is former three-point sharpshooter Steve Kerr, who won five NBA titles at Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, and has since guided Golden State Warriors to three more, without ever serving as an assistant.
Confronted by the 'white privilege' accusation, Nash concedes his race has been advantage, although questions whether this appointment is one of those times.
"I have benefitted from white privilege," he says. "Our society has a lot of ground to make up.
"I'm not saying white privilege was a factor in this position, but as white people, we have to understand that we enjoy privilege and benefit from the colour of our skin in our communities.
"We have a long way to go to find equality, and social and racial justice. I hope that I'm a great ally to that cause.
"I'm not sure that this example fits that conversation, but I own it and I understand why it's important to talk about it."
After coach Kenny Atkinson stepped down in March, assistant Jacque Vaughan completed the season at the helm, as the Nets were swept out of the NBA playoffs by defending champions Toronto Raptors in the opening round.
Marks admits he struggled to tell Vaughan, a Black American who has followed an extensive coaching career path, that he had missed out on the fulltime job.
"That's never an easy discussion," says Marks. "It's never easy to tell someone 'you came up second in this regard'.
"It's a credit to JV as a man and who he is to want to continue to stay here, and be a part of something he helped build.
"He knows what's at stake here and he knows he's valued by Steve. It comes back to two guys having respect for one another and the humility to say 'I don't know everything'."
Earlier this year, Marks told Newshub's Stories from the Locker Room podcast that Nash was the player - along with former Spurs teammates Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili - that greatly influenced his own 13-year career as New Zealand's first NBA player.
"I've been so fortunate to play with so many great players," Marks said.
"The elite of the elite operate at a whole different level to the rest of us, but the humility that those three in particular show to other teammates, that's contagious."
