During an ESPN interview, Knicks’ President, Phil Jackson, referred to Lebron James’ acquaintances as a ‘posse.’ Here’s the question and answer causing a bit of controversy:
JM: It all started when LeBron left, right? Could you have ever imagined Earvin Johnson leaving Riley, or Michael Jordan leaving you?
PJ: It had to hurt when they lost LeBron. That was definitely a slap in the face. But there were a lot of little things that came out of that. When LeBron was playing with the Heat, they went to Cleveland and he wanted to spend the night. They don’t do overnights. Teams just don’t. So now (coach Erik) Spoelstra has to text Riley and say, ‘What do I do in this situation?’ And Pat, who has iron-fist rules, answers, ‘You are on the plane, you are with this team.’ You can’t hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland.
To read the full interview, click here.
So, what’s the fuss? Apparently, King James took offense to the reference of what he calls “business associates” as a posse. Word around the media is Lebron feels that p-word (not what Trump said) is offensive and was racially motivated.
I don’t know how Jackson said it, or what he meant by it. But in summary, Lebron feels this was a derogatory way to refer to the King’s court. Here’s what I do know, Merriam-Webster Dictionary query defines posse as:
Full Definition of posse
1. a large group often with a common interest
2. a body of persons summoned by a sheriff to assist in preserving the public peace usually in an emergency
3. a group of people temporarily organized to make a search (as for a lost child)
4. entourage
So, much to do about nothing right? I personally don’t think ‘posse’ is a derogatory term slurred at African-Americans. Being Afro-Latino myself, I certainly have been called worse and wouldn’t have taken offense
by the remark. Then gain, it’s not about how I feel, but how Lebron interpreted it and how it made HIM feel.
Sure, this may be an example of ultra-sensitivity, or maybe there’s some merit to
feeling like race has something to do with it. All I know is that whether you feel some type of way about the posse reference or not, here’s an awesome mug with the words Bron’s Posse on it!
Order yours today
-Mr. WittyThings and Posse 😉