PLAYING DEFENSE
Jax mum, Van Gundy explains ‘posse’ use
Phil Jackson didn’t apologize for using the word “posse’’ in describing LeBron James’ management team but outspoken Pistons president/coach Stan Van Gundy did it for him.
Before facing the Knicks on Wednesday, Van Gundy owned up to using the phrase “posse’’ in a similar vein in regards to black associates, saying the Jackson incident served as a epiphany. Van Gundy, who has ripped Presidentelect Donald Trump for being “brazenly racist,” admitted he needed to come clean.
“It makes you all think,’’ Van Gundy said. “I think we’ve all got to become aware of our language and attitudes. I’m going to be perfectly honest here. I’ve used that word before, OK? When all that came out, I had to ask myself, ‘Have I ever used that word before with a white player?’ The answer is no.
“You have to be aware of your own biases if you want to overcome them. I took that seriously. I understand why it’s offensive. I’ve never used that word publicly but I have used it in talking to people I know. It has never been in conjunction with a white player.”
“At the time you’re going to call out other people on attitudes you have to be willing to look in the mirror and call yourself out.’’
Jackson hardly has called himself out, though. He subtly responded on Twitter to the controversy, attempting to defuse the word’s racial connotations rather than apologizing for offending James and his manager Maverick Carter and agent Rich Paul.
Jackson retweeted a link from Knicks executive Clarence Gaines Jr. to a multi-cultural educational entity called “Posse Foundation,” with the text “a worthy and positive organization.’’
The Posse Foundation website states it “has identified, recruited and trained 6,993 public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential to become Posse Scholars. Since 1989, these students — many of whom might have been overlooked by traditional college selection processes — have been receiving four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships from Posse’s partner institutions of higher education.”
The Posse Foundation website also features a picture of President Obama, thanking him for his “remarkable gift contribution.’’ Gaines clarified to The Post that the Posse Foundation is open to people of all backgrounds, not just African-Americans.
Jackson is under attack from not only James and his associates but Knicks star Carmelo Anthony for using the word “posse’’ in an interview. James and Anthony said the word is racially charged. Carter called it “demeaning’’ and Anthony said it doesn’t take “a rocket scientist’’ to realize it is offensive when referring to a group of black men. Anthony added Jackson shouldn’t even be discussing James because the Knicks don’t face the Cavaliers again until Dec. 7.
“I know Phil Jackson, he’s a good man,” Magic Johnson tweeted Wednesday, praising James’ business team while saying Jackson made a small mistake in word choice. “I don’t think he meant to disrespect LeBron James and his team.”