Longtime shooting guard and former Lakers head coach Byron Scott wants NBA players to take the lead of the late Kobe Bryant and stand up to support black coaches. Scott disclosed to TMZ that if it wasn’t Kobe speaking up for him in 2014, he wouldn’t have received the head coach position for the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Our players don’t do a good enough job for advocating for Black coaches and that’s just something that we need to change as well.” Scott told TMZ.
Byron’s comments come at a time when the Brooklyn Nets are attempting to MVP Steve Nash as their head coach. Scott believes that with the help of NBA stars, this will help black coaches get the jobs and recognition they deserve. It will also spotlight coaches with an established track record than someone with none at all. Tyronn Lue, Mark Jackson and Ime Udoka are also two coaches on the list of high-level coaching candidates now on the market. A team is only as good as their coach, if more NBA players use their influence and advocate for more black coaches, they would win on and off the court.