Stephen “I beat up some fans” Jackson of the Indiana Pacers doesn’t like the NBA’s new dress code. “It’s racist,” he said.
“Not letting players dress like hip-hoppers,” says Jackson, “discriminates against young black men, the likes of whom comprise about 80 percent of NBA rosters.”
Tim Duncan of the world champion San Antonio Spurs, who has nothing bad to say about anyone, anywhere, anytime, has also declared the dress code as unneeded and racist. Well, you might disagree with their disdain for proper, professional dress and attitude, but at least they aren’t as silly as Denver’s Marcus Camby.
Camby had the audacity to suggest that the NBA pay each player a stipend so they can buy new clothes that satisfy the dress code.
According to Camby, the NBA should subsidize guys who make anywhere from $2 to $20 million a year for several thousand dollars in apparel.
This makes about as much sense as players saying that wearing gaudy jewelry is a sign of success and proof that they successfully escaped the ghetto. Unfortunately, many of them act and dress like the bad characters they fought to escape and they glorify the violent attitudes and anti-social behavior that they supposedly wanted to avoid.