OT: Hill's response to Jalen Rose's comments re: Fab Five

[Miklo]

This is a powerful response by Grant to racially motivated comments in the Fab Five documentary, comments calling him and other Duke players names, and saying that all the black players at Duke were "Uncle Tom's" - which I guess he meant to mean that they were from affluent families.

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/grant-hills-response-to-jalen-rose/

Excerpts (but I'd recommend following the link above to read the whole thing instead, it's better as a whole):

It was a sad and somewhat pathetic turn of events, therefore, to see friends narrating this interesting documentary about their moment in time and calling me a bitch and worse, calling all black players at Duke “Uncle Toms” and, to some degree, disparaging my parents for their education, work ethic and commitment to each other and to me.

It is insulting and ignorant to suggest that men like Johnny Dawkins (coach at Stanford), Tommy Amaker (coach at Harvard), Billy King (general manager of the Nets), Tony Lang (coach of the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins in Japan), Thomas Hill (small-business owner in Texas), Jeff Capel (former coach at Oklahoma and Virginia Commonwealth), Kenny Blakeney (assistant coach at Harvard), Jay Williams (ESPN analyst), Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies) and Chris Duhon (Orlando Magic) ever sold out their race.

To hint that those who grew up in a household with a mother and father are somehow less black than those who did not is beyond ridiculous. All of us are extremely proud of the current Duke team, especially Nolan Smith. He was raised by his mother, plays in memory of his late father and carries himself with the pride and confidence that they instilled in him.

I'm not trying to start a racial debate, I just wanted to comment that this was a very mature and meaningful response by Hill to a very insensitive attitude towards his background.

[JohnVancouver]

Jalen Rose is, in clinical terms, an idiot

Grant Hill is a supremely admirable man

[BurningHeart]

Absolute ass-whooping. I love Grant.

And I wish we could put away viewing anything on racial terms. How **** annoying.

[myrak433]

Grant Hill so thoroughly missed Jalen Rose's point that I almost believe he missed it deliberately.
Jalen Rose clearly states that these were his feelings when he was a FRESHMAN at Michigan. He also states that the reason these feelings came about were because he was JEALOUS of Grant Hill's family situation. The adult Jalen Rose admitted that he had immature feelings as a kid and also recognized, as an adult, that they were not justified in truth! I'm glad Mr. Hill is defending himself and his teammates, but Mr. Rose made it clear that he doesn't believe the same things that he thought as an 18-year-old kid now that he is a grown man who has a lifetime of new experiences.

[YFZblu]

I don't think Grant Hill needed to respond. Jalen Rose was referring to how he felt in the past and what he thought of Duke players as a young man...He didn't just start saying Dukies are uncle toms and whitewashed out of nowhere.

Jalen Rose went on to say he was jealous and bitter at Grant Hill and his family, but never personally attacked him or stated his past opinions as current facts.

Anyway, Grant Hill did a great job of expressing his feelings and conveying the pride he has for himself, his family, and Duke--As he should be.

[Sun Scorched]

Grant Hill so thoroughly missed Jalen Rose's point that I almost believe he missed it deliberately.

Jalen Rose clearly states that these were his feelings when he was a FRESHMAN at Michigan. He also states that the reason these feelings came about were because he was JEALOUS of Grant Hill's family situation. The adult Jalen Rose admitted that he had immature feelings as a kid and also recognized, as an adult, that they were not justified in truth! I'm glad Mr. Hill is defending himself and his teammates, but Mr. Rose made it clear that he doesn't believe the same things that he thought as an 18-year-old kid now that he is a grown man who has a lifetime of new experiences.

Interesting that you felt the need to post the exact same thing in both the comments section of the article and on the Suns board... let me say this:

It's still wildly innappropriate. Whether he thought that then, or still does won't change the fact that he was wrong for thinking it. It's not a fricken' excuse.

It'd be one thing had he said he was wrong in the documentary. He didn't. And the simple fact that he sent Grant a message apologizing before its release signals indefensible guilt.

[Miklo]

Grant Hill so thoroughly missed Jalen Rose's point that I almost believe he missed it deliberately.
Jalen Rose clearly states that these were his feelings when he was a FRESHMAN at Michigan. He also states that the reason these feelings came about were because he was JEALOUS of Grant Hill's family situation. The adult Jalen Rose admitted that he had immature feelings as a kid and also recognized, as an adult, that they were not justified in truth! I'm glad Mr. Hill is defending himself and his teammates, but Mr. Rose made it clear that he doesn't believe the same things that he thought as an 18-year-old kid now that he is a grown man who has a lifetime of new experiences.

I see your point, but I don't think Hill was calling out Jalen like saying "you're talking trash about my family, you better stop" - I thought he was responding to an attitude that has to be quite honest always been made vocal about Duke players. And I think it's distasteful to include that stuff in the documentary, just because these guys supposedly talked crap about people from different backgrounds back then doesn't mean you need to include something that's gonna stir up controversy.

I guess I just saw it as, these guys are making a documentary about their team, but all of a sudden Grant Hill watches it and people are calling him and his family names, it just doesn't sit right with me. At least they could have approached him during scripting and asked if he was comfortable with it. Which, clearly he wouldn't have been and I think he has that right.

[JasonDaPsycho]

Rose is truly an ignorant idiot when he used the term "Uncle Tom". He is specifically implying that it is a privillege for a black person to have a good family when it really isn't the case. We shouldn't be reserving the so-called "privillege" for people of certain races. Hill isn't trying to deny who he is. Just because he's been middle-upper class all his life doesn't make him any less "black".

This is the problem people. The idea of race shouldn't have existed in the first place. This is not only dividing people of different ethnicities, but people of the same skin color as well. Skin colors shouldn't matter at all. Why can't we all live without expectations based on our looks?

PS I live in somewhere around San Francisco. You get the idea... But still what I'm saying is true.

[mybloodisorange]

I am proud of my family. I am proud of my Duke championships and all my Duke teammates. And, I am proud I never lost a game against the Fab Five.

This made me lol. I love how Grants rubs it in at the end!

[albasuna]

i don't get it.. this happened what some 15 odd years ago and they still barking at each other? let it rest.

[Sun Scorched]

i don't get it.. this happened what some 15 odd years ago and they still barking at each other? let it rest.

The documentary came out the other day. In it, Jalen (while narrating) made those comments. It happened quite recently.

[Itmotep]

I think the biggest insult in the entire thing is that he said that Grants mom went to college, and was in same room as Hillary Clinton, etc and saying his own mother had to bust her ass for 20 years as a single mother.

Oh, I forgot, going to college and getting a good education is EASY and not busting your ass. @ Jalen.

[RDN]

Hill showed true class with this comment, regardless of who's right and who's wrong in the debate.