In January 2017, a seemingly private joke at a season-ticket holder event thrust the Atlanta Hawks into another racial controversy, exposing a troubling pattern within the franchise’s front office.
Then-general manager Wes Wilcox, while fielding tough questions from attendees, made a remark that would lead to a swift internal investigation and undisclosed disciplinary action: “I have a black wife and three mixed kids, so I’m used to people being angry and argumentative.”
The Incident and Immediate Fallout
The comment, first reported by Deadspin, was intended as a self-deprecating joke. Wilcox later explained he was making the remark “at my own expense regarding my family, which is multi-racial.” However, to African-American attendee Clarenton Crawford and his wife.
The Hawks, still reeling from a series of high-profile racial scandals just years prior, acted decisively. The team’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, Nzinga Shaw, was tasked with addressing the situation publicly. Shaw acknowledged the problematic perception, stating,
Wilcox issued a formal apology to Crawford and the community, saying, “This joke offended Mr. Crawford and his wife, and for that, I apologize.” The NBA allowed the Hawks to handle the matter internally, which they did with what Shaw described as “undisclosed discipline” for Wilcox.
A Troubled History: The Hawks’ Racial Scandals
The Wilcox incident did not occur in a vacuum. It was the latest in a string of controversies that had plagued the Hawks’ leadership in the preceding years, creating what Shaw called “a tumultuous time” that “almost took us under.”
- The Danny Ferry Scandal (2014): Perhaps the most damaging incident involved then-general manager Danny Ferry. During a conference call discussing free agent Luol Deng, Ferry was alleged to have said Deng “has a little African in him” .
- The Bruce Levenson Email (2014): Around the same time, a 2012 email from then-controlling owner Bruce Levenson was uncovered. In it, Levenson analyzed the team’s struggling attendance and stated the fan base was “overwhelmingly black”.
The Wider NBA Context: The Donald Sterling Precedent
While the Hawks’ issues were severe, the most infamous case of racism in modern NBA history involved Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. In 2014, recordings were released of Sterling making blatantly racist remarks to his girlfriend, including demanding she not bring Black people to games or post pictures with them online.
The reaction was swift and unprecedented. Under immense pressure from players, led by then-Clippers star Chris Paul, and the public, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed down a historic punishment: a lifetime ban from the NBA, a $2.5 million fine, and a forced sale of the Clippers franchise. The Sterling case set a new, zero-tolerance standard for racist conduct from owners and executives.