This week, famed radio host Howard Stern had some quite controversial comments about the way that Black NBA players treat him when he sits courtside at New York Knicks games.
During his radio show on Monday, Stern claimed that Black NBA players ignored him when he was sitting courtside because he is “a white guy.”
Here’s a transcription of Stern’s comments from Mediaite:
“The Knicks have been very kind to me. They put me right in the front row. That’s when I knew I was famous. When I, you know, I have courtside, they put me courtside and the Black players won’t come over and say hello to me, but they go over to Spike Lee,” Stern lamented.
“They don’t acknowledge you at all?” Quivers asked.
“No. I’ll be sitting next to Tracy Morgan or Chris Rock. You know, they seat you where they seat you. And a lot of times when I’m there, I’m next to Tracy Morgan, who is so funny. And he’s sitting there and like, couple of the players will come over. They like give him that bro shake and stuff. And I’m like — these guys should hug me too. I mean, what am I? I grew up in a Black neighborhood, you know what I mean? I mean they should know that. But I get ignored,” Stern said.
When Quivers asked Stern why he believed that was happening, he chalked it up to him being “a white guy.”
“You think it’s a racial thing? I’m sure they talk to some white people,” Quivers said.
“No, not that I saw. I want them to. I want them to talk to me,” Stern said. “I want them to come up and go, ‘Hey Howard, fan of the show or something.’ I don’t get that. And, you know who comes up to me sometimes — the referees. White guys and Black guys, they’ll come up to me, White referees and Black. Like, ‘Hey Howard, hey.’ But yeah, a lot of the White referees. So I’m like, oh, is everything racial now? Can I get a shout-out from some of the players?” Stern said.
As the conversation continued, he said, “I just get upset. I’m like, you know, fame to me is very important. I’ll admit it. I like people to recognize me.”
“They might be recognizing you. Just not speaking to you,” Quivers said.
“Yeah, maybe they don’t like me. I don’t know,” Stern said. “I’d like to think it’s a White thing, not my personality. I hope it’s racial. That’s all.”
The shocking comments from Stern certainly caused a stir in the NBA world as people offered their reactions on social media.
Implying that people are discriminating against your whiteness because you don’t want to acknowledge that most of these players have no clue who you are is actually hilarious. https://t.co/hBcpxByDQB
— GNCordova (@GNCordova) May 5, 2023
most likely they don’t know who you are due to not being fifty years old https://t.co/MYsVJZsFnN
— rax ‘leads with her crotch’ king (@RaxKingIsDead) May 4, 2023
https://twitter.com/QuickestTempa/status/1654504795548577792?s=20
Why would any NBA player under the age of 30 know who Howard Stern is https://t.co/rIEj1c2jWX
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 5, 2023
I can’t believe a bunch of basketball players born this century don’t know the shock jock who has been exclusively on satellite radio for like a decade. https://t.co/NuhM9xtzvw
— Jane (@JaneOst_) May 5, 2023
stern discovering the hard way that no one under 45 has ever heard of him https://t.co/vkO7pz95Uf
— Denny Carter (@CDCarter13) May 5, 2023
[Mediaite]
