Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White is very aware of the racial injustice that Black people face on a daily basis in America. He has been using his arena entrances throughout the season as a way to support black empowerment, and this month is no different.
On February 12, ahead of his game against the Clippers, White wasn’t wearing Gucci, Versace, or Louis Vuitton like most of the players in the league do for arena entrances. He was wearing a custom hoodie with a picture of the 1966 Texas Western men’s basketball team that won the NCAA national championship. So what’s significant about that team?
Well for one, they were the first team to start an all-Black lineup and a title game and the first to win in doing so. Despite being born in 2000, Coby White has a deep appreciation for the history that the 1966 Texas Western team made, as well as other current and historic Black figures. White also said that ‘Glory Road’ is his favorite sports film of all-time, which is based on the 1966 Texas Western basketball squad. Here’s what White told ESPN writer Eric Woodyard:
“’Glory Road’ is like my favorite sports movie of all time. And what they did and what Don Haskins did by starting all five African Americans, especially in the national championship game, he started a new wave. For us, as African Americans, we were looked at as just being athletic and we don’t know how to think the game. We don’t have no IQ. So for him to do that, he kind of started the wave that we’re no different than anybody else out there on the basketball court and playing sport.”
But again, Feb. 12 was not the only occasion that White showed his support for Black history and Black culture. He wears some kind of clothing that pays homage to powerful Black figures and messages before nearly every game. All you have to do is take a quick look at his Instagram profile to see for yourself.
Coby White is averaging 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists so far in 2021, and he continues to contribute to a Bulls team that currently sits at 15-16, as a seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Chicago will be playing against the Suns at home tonight looking to get even at .500.
