Source: Doug Pensinger / Getty
Detriot Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy is known as one of the NBA’s most outspoken team leaders known for not mincing his words much like his young brother, Jeff Van Gundy. After a recent scandal surfaced regarding former NCAA basketball players now in the professional ranks, Van Gundy took some heavy shots at the collegiate sports governing body.
Charlotte Hornets beat writer Chris Kroeger captured a few excerpts of Coach Van Gundy’s statements regarding the so-called “one-and-done” rule that bars high school players from entering the NBA draft. Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Hornets, Van Gundy was in rare form.
From Kroeger’s account:
I think a lot of it was racist, quite honestly. And the reason I’m going to say that is, I’ve never heard anybody go up in arms about, ‘Oh my god, they’re letting these kids go out and play minor-league baseball’ or, ‘They’re letting these kids come out and play minor-league hockey.’ They’re not making big money, and they’re white kids primarily, and nobody has a problem.
But all of a sudden, you’ve got a black kid who wants to come out of high school and make millions — that’s a bad decision? But bypassing college to go play for $800 a month in minor-league baseball – that’s a fine decision? What the hell is going on?
Detroit News captured more of Van Gundy’s comments where the coach flat out calls out the NCAA for blocking the blessings of a talented but poor Black player from earning millions.
“If there’s a college that can’t a kid that when you have a chance to make $2.5 million-$3 million a year guaranteed for four years that you should skip college, then the institution is no good,” quoted the outlet.
This adds to recent comments made by Kevin Durant that if given the chance, he would have skipped college and headed straight to the pros out of high school and that college players should get paid.
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Photo: Getty
