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Grant Hill’s Response To Jalen Rose

Posted on March 17th, 2011
by
Karen


March Madness is in full swing and basketball fanatics nationwide are neck deep into brackets, Cinderella squads and praying their Final Four picks do not get upset. However, one of the overridding stories has focused on two gentlemen who played in one of the more memorable college basketball seasons in recent memory – Jalen Rose and Grant Hill. Rose – a member of the legendary Michigan Fab 5” – made some very controversial comments about African American Duke University basketball players – including Hill – being “Uncle Toms.” Jalen has profusely said the comments were how he felt as an 18 year old freshman, but the words have prompted a firestorm of controversy both in and out the sports world.

Grant Hill took the time to respond to the comments through an op-ed piece in the New York Times. However, the entire piece was unable to fit due to space constraints. The former All-American took to his own site to publish the entire letter. Read a portion below.

I am a fan, friend and long time competitor of the Fab Five. This should not be a surprise because I am a contemporary of every member of that iconic team. I have competed against Jalen and Chris since the age of 13. Jalen, Chris, and Juwan are my friends and have been for 25 years. At Michigan, they represented a cultural phenomenon that impacted the country in a permanent and positive way. The very idea of the Fab Five elicited pride and promise in much the same way the Georgetown teams did in the mid-80s when I was in high school and idolized them. Their journey from youthful icons to successful men today is a road map for so many young, black men (and women) who saw their journey through the powerful documentary, Fab Five.

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. I should have guessed there was something regrettable in the documentary when Jay Williams and I received a Twitter apology from Jalen before its airing. And, I am aware Jalen has gone to some length to explain his remarks about my family in numerous interviews, so I believe he has some admiration for them.

To read the entire editorial, click here.

0 responses to “Grant Hill’s Response To Jalen Rose”

  1. Phyllis says:

    Jalen Rose should be fired because of his ignorant comments on the Fab Five
    documentary. No other race exhibits as much hate for their own as my African Amercann
    brothers and sisters. His comment comes from a deep seated place of hate and
    insecurity that we feel toward each other whenever we see our own succeed. Grant Hill is a great example for our young men unlike that idiot Rose who continues to
    show America why every race in America can achieve monumental success and unity
    Until we stop putting each other down and celebrate all of our differences(single family,
    two family households, light skinned, dark skinned, etc..) we will never be a united
    race. He should be fired – he is an embarrassment. Once again playing that stupid house black vs. field black for the media.

  2. TCH says:

    Amen Phyllis… No need to add anything else, you summed it up!

  3. TCH says:

    Yo, these are some Huxtable a$$ sweaters they rockin’! LOL You know they were loaded LOL