Former NBA All-Star Explains Why He No Longer Uses The N-Word
Growing up on the New York City playgrounds, former NBA point guard Kenny Anderson had no choice.
He heard friends and family use the N-word often. So he joined in because he thought it was no big deal.
Years later, Anderson, who was drafted at No. 2 by the New Jersey Nets in 1991, has changed his opinion. He no longer uses it as term of endearment because he feels the word is associated with too much negativity.
"I just didn't want to talk that way," Anderson told Back In The Day Hoops On SI. "I grew up in New York so I had no choice. It's a term of endearment. I was like, `Man I don't really want to deal with it. I just got off it. I haven't said it in ages. Some people don't want to get off it."
Anderson, a one-time NBA All-Star has since started pushing T-shirts that read, "My Guy." He says that's a much more acceptable greeting.
PETROVIC'S DEATH STALLED A BUDDING TEAM
The New Jersey Nets had one of the best Big Three in the NBA at the time.
Their base was Anderson, Derrick Coleman and Drazen Petrovic. They were destined to become a contender in the Eastern Conference.
All that changed in 1993 when Petrovic was killed in a car accident. In an interview with Back In The Day Hoops On SI, Anderson said that ended any momentum for the Nets.
"The sky was the limit but when Drazen Petrovic died in a car accident, it killed all the dreams for the New Jersey Nets," Anderson said. "Chuck Daly didn't come back. They brought in Butch Beard. It just went downhill."
The Nets were possibly on the cusp of challenging teams like the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets in the East. Instead, they lost three straight first-round playoff series from 1992-94, but things went south after Petrovic's death. Coleman left to play for the Philadelphia 76ers and Anderson went to the Charlotte Hornets. The Nets then only made one postseason appearance since making the NBA Finals twice in 2002 and 2003.
"Derrick Coleman went to Philly, I went to Charlotte," Anderson said. "It was just a new regime in New Jersey. We had a great run but we had to compete against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls ... It was just so tough to beat Michael Jordan."
Troy Hudson is a contributor to Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at troyehudson@gmail.com
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