If one spots an NBA athlete nowadays, usually they are either in luxury cars or wearing the latest fashion trends etc. The top tier ones such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry have security always with them. All of this has been made possible due to the massive salaries and the much more cohesive environment of today’s America, as back in the day, the likes of NBA legend Oscar Robertson had it differently.
The former league MVP was a guest on the All the Smoke podcast. After discussing the differences between the circumstances in the NBA from his time, host Matt Barnes asked him about a specific incident that occurred in 1958:
We were gonna play in the Dixie Classic. So, I get a telegram that says, if you go out and play, they going to shoot me. So, I gave it to the coach. I never forget that as long as I live. To be honest, I was born in Tennessee. I never really thought that much about the Klan to begin with. I never thought that much about guys that threatened me.
Oscar Robertson said
Robertson did mention that he did not bother about it as it was not the first time someone had threatened him. But he never forgot the incident as it was a direct threat from an organization.
Oscar Robertson grew up in an era when the African American community were fighting for their rights. On the other hand, white supremacists were trying to clamp them down as much as possible. The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist terrorist group, often positioned itself as the ultimate aggressor.
Oscar Robertson defied death threats & discrimination throughout his career ⁰⁰“I get a telegram. It says, ‘If you go out and play we’re gonna shoot you.’… I’ll never forget that as long as I live.”⁰
ALL THE SMOKE with The Big O is LIVE: https://t.co/AkZGYGoZww#NBA pic.twitter.com/mx4EERLnXj— All the Smoke Productions (@allthesmokeprod) September 19, 2024
During the times of the former MVP, the Klan had millions of members. Nowadays those numbers are down to the few thousands. Even then, their impact was still around the times when Barnes was in school.
Matt Barnes tells Oscar Robertson of Ku Klux Klan threats he faced
After Oscar Robertson spoke about that horrifying incident, host Matt Barnes revealed his own experience. He goes on to explain what happened in 1998:
A kid was harassing my sister, so I did what a big brother did and beat the kid up. Then the KKK tried to burn down my high school. Put a hit out on me, I had to move.
Matt Barnes said
The Hall of Famer found it surprising that this incident happened 40 years after he experienced his nightmare. They agreed that the threat of the KKK might have diminished but has not been wiped out completely.
But in today’s age, nearly 26 years after Barnes faced that incident, he knows the situation is a lot better. But even then, there are incidents that make one think if the Ku Klux Klan is still active. Robertson and Barnes did acknowledge that if it is so, then discussions need to happen.
They do believe that people do not want to hear people from sports talk about politics. But they did acknowledge that NBA stars have the platform to talk about the issues their brethren face. That platform has had its impact in trying to bring the country together.
