Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce watched the protests sweep through his city over the weekend.
Across the country, Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder was trying to explain the scenes on his television to his children in Salt Lake City.
“Our city here is a contrast to Atlanta, and a stark one,” Snyder said. “We don’t have a large African-American population. … There were protests, significant protests, maybe not as much in numbers but in passion. It shows how pervasive and intense and emotional this issue is.”
Snyder and Pierce come from different backgrounds, live in very different parts of the country, but the two NBA coaches share a common goal. They are both part of the National Basketball Coaches Association’s Committee on Racial Injustice and Reform. The task group was established after the NBCA issued a strong statement condemning recent instances of “police brutality, racial profiling and the weaponization of racism”.
The two coaches joined the Woj Pod on Monday to discuss the new committee, racial injustice in America, and the protests sweeping the country in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
“It’s about being willing to have that dialogue, to be transparent with yourself, to be honest with yourself,” Snyder said on the podcast. “Ultimately, as a white man, what I was hearing was, We need help. It’s not enough just to have your support. There has to be a willingness to confront these things when you see them, to be willing to take action.”
Snyder said that he has also spoken with his players in recent days to talk about these issues.
“There are times when [coaching] feels personal. As a coach you have to be willing to say things that may not be received well initially and may be confrontational,” Snyder said. “You’re willing to say those things, but are you willing to talk about these things? I’d like to think all of us strive to earn our players trust.”
