Wait, say what now?
Source: Jeffrey Camarati / Getty
History was made yesterday as former University of North Carolina basketball player and long-time Assistant Coach Hubert Davis was officially introduced as the new head coach of the men’s basketball team. According to ESPN, Davis will be taking the reigns following the retirement of college hoops legend Roy Williams and will become the first Black man to hold the Head Coach title in the school’s two-hundred thirty-two-year history.
Davis spent nine years as Williams’ right-hand man and now he gets his time to shine as the HNIC.
“I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead this program,” Davis said in a statement released by the school. “I would not be here without Coach Dean Smith, Coach Bill Guthridge and Coach Roy Williams; they taught me so much — and I’m eager to walk their path in my shoes and with my personality. I also would not be here without Chancellor [Kevin] Guskiewicz and Bubba Cunningham. I appreciate their faith in me and I look forward to working closely with them.”
Davis added, “I played here, I earned my degree here, I fell in love with my wife here, I got married here, I moved here after I retired from the NBA and I have raised my family here. I am proud to lead this team, and I can’t wait for all that comes next.”
Congratulations, brotha, you’ve clearly earned everything you’ve worked for and we wish you nothing but success. However…
During Davis’ introductory press conference he was asked about how significant it is that he is UNC’s first Black head coach. The Tar Heels (that name kind of feels racist-y in this context but we digress) have an illustrious history of Black players like Michael Jordan, Jerry Stackhouse, Vince Carter, James Worthy, Rasheed Wallace, and many, many others so Davis becoming the first melanated coach is particularly striking. What would a Black man in such an esteemed position say about his ground-breaking achievement?
Well, Davis swelled with dignity and emoted about how proud he was to have a white wife.
*record skips*
Yes. You read every syllable of that sentence correctly. Let’s take a look at what coach Hubert said a little closer.
“It’s significant, that I’m African American and I’m the head coach here. It’s significant,” Davis begins his seemingly proud speech. “I know that in terms of division one head coaches all around the country, only 26 percent of the head coaches for division 1 men’s basketball are compromised by minorities, specifically African Americans. I know that it is significant that I am the fourth African American head coach in any sport in the history of the University of North Carolina. I’m very proud to be African American.”
However, things turn a little left when he ends his heroic speech with this:
“But I’m also very proud that my wife is white and I’m very proud that my 3 beautiful unbelievable kids are a combination of both of us.”
We can’t make this stuff up. Fast forward to 38:20 to hear Davis’ strangely specific comments about the pride he has in his caucasian bae.
Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with being proud of your family and especially of the woman to whom you dedicated your life. That said, this was a VERY SPECIFIC question about what it means to be the first BLACK head coach at one of college sports’ most hallowed institutions and somehow ol’ Hubie went full Rubix cube and found a way to flip, twist, and turn the question into praise his white significant other.
Are we ever gonna be free?
What do you think about Hubert Davis’ speech?