Only One Mic Podcast
Carl Jerard, Brooklyn Dre, and JRob welcome you to The Only One Mic Podcast. We are joined each week by authors, activists, advocates, community leaders, and professionals from several walks of life who would like to offer their experience, expertise, or commentary on the various topics you will be interested in learning.
Only One Mic Podcast
Athletes Who Chose Faith Over the Game
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
The NBA can celebrate Pride Month on the calendar and broadcasts—but what happens when a player like Jaden Ivey says his faith won’t let him co-sign it? In this episode, we break down the controversy, the rise of “conduct detrimental” as a catch-all label, and how public moral stances can quickly become career risks.
Pride Month And The Controversy
SPEAKER_00The world can proclaim LGBTQ, right? They proclaim Pride Month in the MBA. They proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say, come join us for Pride Month. To celebrate unrighteousness.
Jaden Ivey Background And Stakes
SPEAKER_02And today's topic is about something real, something uncomfortable, and something a lot of people are afraid to say I'm out of talking about that situation around the Jade and Ivey. The NBA religion and LGBTQ issues. So y'all, it's not just about basketball. It's about faith, freedom, identity, and where the line gets drawn in today's world. So we all know the situation with uh Jaden Ivy. It's been a couple of days now, and you know, everybody heard what he had to say and continuing to hear what he has to say. A lot of people commented on this thing. And um we looked at it more as like a bigger picture issue because Jaden Ivy isn't the only one who ever stood up for something that they believed in. And so um we trying to, you know, just kind of unpack like what is the overall bigger picture in regards to your freedom of speech and especially proclaiming your religion or something that you believe in when dealing with you know corporate fractions like the NBA and you know their so-called you know code of conduct when it comes to certain things. So if you can, just for some context, Ray, give uh people a little bit of stats about uh J V and I Jaden Ivey, if you can.
SPEAKER_01So far, you know, he's he hasn't been in the NBA long. I believe he got drafted in uh 2022. Um Jaden Ivey, I believe is only 24 years old. And uh he had a good rookie season. He started out uh scoring like 16 points a game, 16.3 points a game as a rookie. He had some good seasons, uh 17 points.6 points per game in his third year, I believe he had. And um his career average is about around 14.8 points, uh four assists. And uh he's not in he's not gonna be in the NBA right now. I mean, uh I don't think he was he wasn't kicked out of the NBA, but he was just let go from the Bulls. So um, I mean, we need him right now. The Knicks need him.
SPEAKER_02So it's not a it's not a question about his talent, you know. Like you said, he's young, he's still, you know. So um, you know, they didn't really let him let him go, but they kind of made it where he's almost like undraftable, if I could, if that's even a word. But you know what I mean, like based upon what you see here, like they they're marking him as like being trouble in terms of him speaking up for what he believes in.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, like he's I mean, I can't say well, he's already been drafted, but um I'll say that uh they made it made it like he's like you know, bad goods right now. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02Bad choice of words, folks.
SPEAKER_01I mean, might be some yeah, somebody might, you know, if you want to pick him up, you know, you kind of think, you know, is it worth it to deal with, you know, his religious views? You know what I mean? And a lot of a lot of the uh I mean this is what this this whole podcast is about today, is because that's what uh seems to happen right now in the in in sports and definitely in the NBA. It's like, you know, when it comes to like somebody having some religious views, then it seems like you know, you they don't want to deal with that, you know. They seem like they deal with everything else, but definitely not religious views.
Athletes Punished For Beliefs
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I mean this is something I just for the NBA, like this is historical in um in sports, you know. We can go to you know the the the number one, Muhammad Ali, you know, standing up for what he believed in. Cost him his career for a good long while, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01And there's so many. There's so many. I mean, uh, you have uh Chris Jackson, uh forget how you pronounce it. Mumad Abdul Raiouf, yeah, because he didn't want to stand up for the uh the national anthem. Uh just had a lot of people over the years, man, where they had like religious views. I mean, everybody doesn't have to agree, you know, with what the status quo is, you know.
SPEAKER_02Ivan Provervolf from the uh Philadelphia Flyers. We don't talk hockey. He refused to wear a pride jersey because of his Russian Orthodox faith. And he respectfully um, you know, declined doing it. And he just stood up for his faith. A lot of people don't know about that.
SPEAKER_01And even it is a there's numerous, I believe, Muslim women that were playing basketball and um they weren't allowed to wear their hijabs and different things like that in order to play sports. Yeah, you know, and um, you know, some of them have even gone to the point where is that you know they had to change, you know, uh the NCAA rules and different things on uh, you know, on you know, dress code and stuff like that, you know. I mean, if you can play the game and you can wear the hijab, you know, more power to you. Yeah, yeah.
Overzealous Faith And Better Timing
SPEAKER_02And then you have like Kyrie Irvin and Akeem Olajuwa who who actually, you know, fasted during during the games and things like that, you know, proclaiming their Muslim faith and all. So I mean, like this is stuff that's not new, you know what I mean? And um, it's just the whole uh thing that they let him go. Well, you know, the bulls let him go over what was the what was the statement that they called it? The um kind of conduct detrimental to the team, right? Yeah, so the conduct junk detrimental to the team.
SPEAKER_01Um so that's the that's the big thing that we were talking about that uh you know might, you know, I kind of was up in the air about this whole conversation, because you know, as Christians, you know, you want to support him, but then the other side of it is you want to just take a look back and see was he being a little overzealous, you know what I mean? Because, you know, I like I like what he said, you know, and most of the things that he said. Problem is is that you know, is it always a good time to say it? You know what I mean? Like, because we we all have, you know, once you once you become in, I would I would say any religious faith if you become deeply in it, but I know for the you know, for my own walk in it, soon as you start, you know, getting into um religion, a lot of times you get so excited, you get overzealous, man. You start putting everybody in in hell. You want to read, you know, every time you have a conversation with somebody, you want to bring up the the scriptures and stuff like that, and you get a little, you get a little weird, you know what I mean? And that's not what it's about. It's not about you just constantly talking scriptures to somebody 24 hours a day. Sometimes, you know, you can just have a regular conversation with people, and maybe he just got excited about, you know, you know, the new things that he's been learning. He's only 24 years old. I mean, it just seems like he just may have gone. I don't, I'm not sure where you know where the line is, but he could have gone too too aggressive with it, you know what I mean, right now.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I know you were speaking on him being 24 years old, so that's you know, fairly young. Um and also saying that he had like struggles with mental health. Um, and I remember we had this conversation offline, like you know, you were saying like he, you know, in interviews, um, you know, he struggled deeply with like, I guess, depression and all, almost took his life multiple times. Talked about, you know, taking pills and ready to end it and being over with it and all. And he credited his faith for bringing him out of that dark spot. And that's important because, you know, somebody goes through something like that and they find religion. Sometimes, you know, it it just is something they want to share with everybody because they were brought out of that particular spot in their life, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he came out of that dark space, man. He probably, you know, well, not probably. I mean, it's obvious that you know he was really appreciative to God. Yeah, he brought him out of that, brought him out of that dark space. And sometimes, you know, you know, in religion, uh, we'll get to a point. Well, some people will get to the point where as they start thinking it's their duty to convert everybody, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03Right, right.
SPEAKER_01You know, because God, you know, helped them, you know what I mean? Or they just want to see everybody do better. I don't know how you want to put it, but again, the biggest thing that comes out of it is that, you know, sometimes we can be overzealous, you know. I initially I thought maybe um the organization was trying to um force him to, you know, take him part of, you know, the gay pride month thing that they were trying to do with an NBA. But you know, everything that I pulled up online, I haven't seen anything that said they were trying to force him to do anything. You know, I mean, maybe he just didn't want to, you know, be a part of it. Or maybe once they brought it up to him, he just was so offended. Maybe, you know, he went online and went a little overboard.
Workplace Inclusion And Religious Pressure
SPEAKER_02Well, yeah, that that's what they were saying. Like he started like posting like long-form videos online about his Christian belief, his views on sin and morality, his disagreements with, you know, the LGBTQ lifestyle, and his criticism of Pride Month in the NBA. And that's when they, you know, the Bulls eventually waived them, and you know, using the uh conduct conduct detrimental to the team reason for letting them go. So um the big thing is I guess they say that the NBA promotes inclusion. And so, and they say, especially like around you know, the LGBTQ issue. I mean, how do you feel about that? Because like I'm gonna be honest with you. Um if this is like such a big thing, and I mean, you know, we watch games and things like that, and we might see little blurbs, like you don't promote anything else, you know, if it's an inclusionary organization, you don't really promote anything else in terms of pumping black history. You know, I mean I'm just going off the bros on this one, but you know, like pump pumping black history or anything of that nature, and so it's like, why do why is it that this is being so you know held up?
SPEAKER_01That's the funniest thing about that you know it's with that uh this LGBTQ community. I don't even know if I even say it right. You know, sometimes I'm quite sure I messed it up, but it's this is LBT L L G L G B T.
SPEAKER_02LGBTQ, whatever it is.
SPEAKER_01You know, this this is a problem that just not only works in sports, man, it works into um regular life because you know, how many times have we set into these um diversity inclusion meetings in a job and you just feel uncomfortable because you know that your religious belief is is what it is. You don't necessarily agree, well, you not necessarily, you don't agree with um homosexuality. I mean, if you're a Muslim, you're a Christian, you know, going by you know your religious books and your moral, your religious moral code, you know, we don't agree with it. You know, it doesn't mean that you hate anybody or you want to, you know, put hands on anybody or anything like that. It's just a disagreement, you know. I mean, but a lot of times when you're in these meetings, especially when I used to, you know, work in a bank, you know, you're in an office and everybody in there is following status quo, and you feel like uh you feel like a evil person just to say like you don't want to be a part of it. Not not necessarily you feel evil, but you feel like the oddball of it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they feel they they make you feel kind of that way, not to say that you are, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and then the the bad part about it is that that they can say no, but in reality, when you take your stand, then you can be uh you can be looked at as like the the black sheep in the office, you know.
SPEAKER_02The troublemaker.
SPEAKER_01The troublemaker, yeah, yeah, you know what I mean. So and then a lot of times you might have people who are um you know gay or lesbian and they have power at the job and they're giving you hard times and different things like that, man. You know, and again, if I'm if I'm a Christian and you're gay and I might have a position over you, you know what I mean? It's not my job to break you down or anything like that. The job you got to write the work just like anybody else does. But I'm telling you, and I've seen it where it's like when you're in these meetings or when they bring when they try to bring you in those kind of events and you state what you, you know, your religious philosophy is or what you believe in, then you're gonna have a hard time in a lot of these places, man. I mean, because you know, not even the people, I mean, there's people that's gay and it's lesbian, but then there's also people that just you know, most people just go along with the status quo. You know what I mean? They might not even be religious or gay or you know, anything like that, but they just want to go along with the status quo. So they just want everything to be smooth, and you know, everybody don't have to agree with you, man. We could we can disagree and still be respectfully disagreeable, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And that's the thing, is that when you have, you know, to speak to your point, is that when you do feel that way, you almost labeled as being hateful or spiteful or whatever. Just and it's not about hate, it's about your belief. You know what I mean? Like you don't you don't hate the homosexual, you just don't believe in that particular action, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01We've all gone to a place in life in this world, man, where it's like, you know, it's a you know, everybody don't have to agree with each other. And I think we were talking about this. Uh, I had a discussion some time ago with uh a gentleman at work and he was Muslim. And uh I was uh explaining he was, you know, me and him talk, yeah, we have a good conversation and everything like that. And I remember he was um telling me um his uh his uh organization is starting up a mos. And uh I remember telling him, I'm like, you know, like oh no, you know, you're doing your thing or whatever like that. He's showing me the video, and then he shows me this thing where it's like contribute to a mosque. And I was like, bruh, I can't, I can't do that. Because he asked me if you know I wanted to contribute, want to contribute. I said, I can't do that. And I think at first he felt offended because I told him I said I couldn't do that. And then what he uh followed up and came back with was like, um, why why can't you do it? I said, because I'm a Christian, right? You know, I can't I can't support something that you know I don't believe in, you know what I mean, or something that's going against this Bible in any way possible. So we had some dialogue on it. He was respectful, and uh, I think he didn't understand it at first, but then uh I said, I said, You're a Muslim. I said, You believe we're going to paradise, right? And he was like, Yeah, I believe I'm going to paradise. I said, I'm a Christian, I believe in the Bible. I don't believe, I don't follow Muhammad or anything like that. And I was like, Do you believe I'm gonna make it into uh paradise? He was like, he had to be honest, he said no. You know what I mean? So we just gonna disagree with it. I don't have to hate you or anything like that. And actually, um, since that time, me and the brother have had many different conversations about this kind of thing. And he was he was respectful, I'm respectful. I like I like the guy, you know what I mean? Yeah, and uh that's how that's how it should be. Nobody has to agree with what you're doing, you know. I mean, and if you got to be sensitive about what you're you're into, then you know you don't have to tell everybody, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. And be a Christian, I don't have to run around here and yelling I'm a Christian at work. And that's like I said, some people get overzealous and get a little crazy with it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, your conduct should show what you represent.
SPEAKER_01When you lose some people lose their job over. I had a gentleman I used to work with, man, was a Christian, man. Well, yeah, but the man, every time you talk to him, everything that came out of his mouth was, you know, it led back to Christianity, man. You could be talking to the guy about oranges and apples, the job, whatever you talk to. Matter of fact, if you walked up on him and he was talking to somebody else, somehow he always turned the conversation back into Christianity. The man was extremely overzealous, man. You know, every and then he got to a point where you seem like people at the job, you know, it was like kind of like a behind the behind his back kind of thing, where it's like, uh, he's on that again. Yeah, you know what I mean? You know, people don't want to talk to you, man. You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So it should be a good balance in it, you know.
SPEAKER_01And like it's nice that you love the Lord. It's very good that you love the Lord. It's wonderful that you love the Lord, but you don't have to run around here and uh go crazy with it. You can be a human being and have regular conversation, man. You push people away from, you know, even being in want to be involved with what you're involved.
SPEAKER_02That's the truth, you know, and like just to look at this guy here, like he had no locker room issues, no conflict with his teammates, anything like that, and no disruptions internally, you know. Um, but with him doing this and saying, you know, this so publicly, the thing that I that I look at and I use him as like just like the uh you know how you say, like pretty much the the poster board on this difference between faith and the workplace thing is that the minute that he does what he what he did, you know, if anybody does it, you know, you know, mental health issues and all that, they'll start bringing all this stuff up, but he could just be proclaiming his faith. Now, like you said, to your point, if he's overzealous and he's he's in the locker room and he, like you said, he's putting everybody in hell and all that, all right. That might be something something different. But um, and I know now they have like videos of him like street preaching and things like that, which like again, this is him as an individual. This is him. This is so maybe he is going through something that's making him do all of this. But you know, just for the people like you said, that's the everyday person that goes to work every day and asks to participate in a Pollyanna or you know, put up some put up some uh Halloween decorations or something. If that's something that you don't believe in, you will end up almost being ostracized by that office, you know, just because you're standing on yours. But however, nobody ever says anything to you know the Jewish person that has the yarmulk on. You know what I mean? Nobody says anything to you know the Catholics who come in with ash on their head, like, hey, this is not, you know, this is not a part of the dress code or something. Like, but it's just seemed all Muslim. You know, if you're a Muslim and you say I don't believe in Christmas and Halloween and all that stuff like that, you don't have to wear a garb. You just can just say it. And nobody's gonna bother you about it.
SPEAKER_01And you know, in all those, in all those religions, I think in some ways they get a pass on a lot of things, man. You know, and I guess because they kind of wear the religion on their sleeve, you know. But when it comes to being a Christian at at work, man, I'm telling you, man, like I'm a Christian, I don't believe in Christmas, you know what I mean? Right. And um, that's the hardest thing, and uh, especially when you work in the office, man. I remember people would I would tell people, like, I don't I don't celebrate Christmas, you know what I mean, all year long. So I'm getting people prepared, like I don't celebrate this. And I would still get a card on my desk. I would still I've had a person actually put a uh uh put a lamp uh that she purchased over here or she, I don't even know who it was because they never even said who it was, but they just put a a lamp that they purchased for me and put it in my desk. You know what I mean? And it just said, you know, Merry Christmas, but I'm like, you know, and uh you know, you don't want to be because that because when you give somebody a gift back and all the other stuff like that, man, it always brings like the problems with it, you know what I mean? And uh you gotta do it, yeah, you know what I mean, because you don't celebrate it, but it's a it's a tough thing to do, especially when you have been used to I I celebrated Christmas when I was in when I was in the world, you know what I mean? When I, you know, just lived a regular life. I celebrated it, I loved it, I bought presents, stuff for my kids, and stuff like that, but now I don't celebrate it. And it's a the hardest thing, man. All them different holidays that people celebrate. Um, and uh you tell people that you don't want to be involved in it, man. But people will force their ways of life on you, you know what I mean? And just how you don't like that, you know. I I think I think a lot of times with these LGBTQ uh community people, I think just as how a Christian can be overzealous, they're overzealous.
SPEAKER_02Oh, very much so. But you know, that's what it does.
SPEAKER_01If I could use that word, because I know overzealous means pretty much whatever religion.
SPEAKER_02Yes, a zero for what they believe. But the uh the thing is, like you said, once they stamp, once you do that against that community, it's the word hate is stamped on them. Right. So far as I've seen, you know, in my research, I haven't seen the kid say he hates anybody. You know what I mean? I just heard him say he don't believe in this based upon, you know, he don't support this based upon his belief. You know what I mean? So the stronghold that that community has, even in that, to say, like, look, we we gotta waive this kid because if he's gonna bring the team down just because of what he believes.
SPEAKER_01You know, look at look look at the the uh go back to the you know, quick go back to the diversity inclusion thing. All of these diversity inclusion meetings I've been in, not one has ever brought up Christianity, you know, or you know, belief in Christ, the Bible. Um, they haven't even brought up like beliefs in Islam or you know, any other religion for that matter.
SPEAKER_02They'll tell you respect it, and that's about it.
SPEAKER_01I've never even heard respect it. You know what I mean? Really diverse to be honest with you, diversity inclusion is really about um it's really about the LGBTQ community. Yeah, pretty much. You know what I mean? And even when they come to the portion, which I know all black people feel the same way about most, I'm assuming most black people feel the way the same same way about this. Is that when they start talking about black issues, I noticed in most of the meetings I've been that black people don't really be honest.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Because if you're honest, then you can have a problem at work too.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_01Most people ain't honest about, you know, you know, because they'll they'll try to get and dance into little soft areas about um race and stuff like that. And then if you were honest and told your truth in there, man, you you're gonna have a problem.
SPEAKER_02Well, yeah, yeah. And and the people who conduct these things know that too. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01So Especially, I mean, we live in where we live, you know, we don't live in a major city like you know, um, like New York, how we used to. But, you know, uh, I don't know how things are in those major cities. Maybe it's a little bit more diverse, maybe it makes a little bit more sense there. But when you live in these rural areas and stuff like that, and you're going to the meetings and you tell your truth.
SPEAKER_02I pack the different. I think that in the major cities now that it's probably swaying more towards, you know, you know, the craziness. Yeah, the yeah, the rainbow community and all that. They might be definitely swinging more towards that, you know, like no.
SPEAKER_01I mean, in regards to more like uh, I'm not even talking about uh uh uh religion. Religion ain't gonna be accepted nowhere, you know what I mean? Especially that Christianity. It's not gonna be uh a Christian belief, it's not gonna be accepted anywhere, you know, because it totally goes against the LGBTQ community, you know what I mean.
SPEAKER_02The real truth does.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the real truth.
SPEAKER_02It totally goes against people claiming they're Christians and still do what they don't.
Race Talk And Picking Battles
SPEAKER_01You can, you know, if you can read the Bible, it tells you, you know, it is what it is. You can from what I understand the Quran, I don't follow the Quran, but I you know grew up with a lot of Muslims now. And I always understood that, you know, they went along with the same philosophy, you know. So, but uh yeah, I'm I was more so talking about just talking about, you know, uh, you know, just being black, you know, being an African American. I but I believe everywhere you go in regards to diversity meeting, in regards to that, you're gonna have a problem. You know, I mean, if you really truly told people what you think. Because I've been to, you know, this might I don't want to take this off this conversation, but I've had co-workers that were white. I went to eat with lunch and everything like that. And I thought we were really cool. And sometimes you get into those racial conversations. And I remember one of one of my friends kind of hurt me somewhat. And I was eating lunch with this lady every day, man. And she was like, like she, when it came to like George Floyd and police brutality, she kind of blew it off like in front of me, like to say, like, ah, come on, it's not for real, you know what I mean? So then, you know, what do you do in that instance? You know what I mean? Like, are you going 100 miles per hour with her, or you know what I mean? Or you just recognize that this is just an idiot, you know, and then you gotta just roll on and live life, you know. And that's the portion about being black people, you know. A lot of times you gotta pick your battles, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. And then everything else is slapped in your face, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01So uh like well, that's a that's what we're saying too, in regards to this brother, man. I think a lot of times, man, too, because I know I get frustrated with it, it's like you're being pounded so much by you know the racism of this current government, you know, you're being pounded so much with you know this um LGBT community stuff. Maybe the brother just snap, man. You know what I mean? Yeah, like you got tired of tired of dealing with it. I mean, especially you're in the public eye, you got to deal with it even worse. Because, you know, we we work regular jobs, you know, we're just having this conversation. But if we had jobs where we were more, you know, famous, we might not be able to say nothing in order to keep endorsements and fun and endorsements and money and all kinds of other stuff like that. Because as soon as you look at all the people that came before before this man, and as soon as they said something not even crazy, mild, yeah. Like, yo, this is just my religious belief, man. And they they just been just sent to oblivion, man. You know what I mean? It's crazy. Look at um, Chris, like you we talked about Chris Jackson. My uh Chris Jackson was one of the best uh ball players in the uh NBA, man. The man said he didn't want to stand up for the anthem. Look what he got, Colin Kape. Yeah, you know, look what he had to go through. Ali, you know, all the people that you we we named. Mark look Mark Jackson. Mark Jackson, you know, there's speculation on his thing, but they were saying that they believe that that's the reason why he's not in it. He's a minister. Oh, he claimed to be a minister, you know. From what um I saw the interview with Andre Igodala, and he said Mark Jackson claimed to be uh, you know, he was a minister. He had con what I understand, he got a congregation and everything. You know what I mean? So his views uh may have differed. Um, according to Andre Igodala, he said, you know, Mark Mark Jackson has some views on homosexuality and uh you know the organization they really like it. He said he had other issues with the organization too, but the man on the man built the team in you know into a powerhouse, man, and now he can't get a job nowhere in the NBA. That's ridiculous, man.
SPEAKER_02And we've had football players who's actually white football players who have really called people, you know, and were yeah, yeah, and still kept their job, went on the win championships the whole grip.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, rapists, uh all kind of cats, everything like that, man.
SPEAKER_02And it's like for some reason was able to get a job.
SPEAKER_01They took a suspension suspension for a short time, yeah. And they and they got their job right back. But here's a man that you know raised his family. Uh I'm using Mark Jackson as an example, man. I've never heard heard horrible things about him, you know. And in this day and age, it's amazing that you can get through life and not have some dirt on you. And to get to this point in life, and just because you disagree with a man in regards to something like that, and it has to have some truth to it, because Andre Kodala said it on a public platform, and I never heard like the Golden State Warriors or anybody else, you know, give him any backlash about what he said. Right.
SPEAKER_02So it is what it is. And even in this, I mean, he was just not just honing in on you know the uh gay community. He was just he was talking about everything. You know what I mean? Right. He talked about the whole Magic City situation. He talked, you know, I mean things of that nature.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's speculative because I I I I've been kind of like doing my homework on it. And some people say that it has some truth to it, and some other people say that it doesn't. They didn't, it wasn't confirmed by the NBA. So I mean it did seem kind of crazy to me that they would come up with something like this, but who knows, man.
SPEAKER_02Basketball spend so much money in it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, basketball. Yeah, that's too. But basketball is so trash now, you know. I mean, compared to you know what we enjoyed in the past, where it's like it seems like they're doing everything to do, you know, to um to get viewership and to get people to come. I said, remember, I don't know if I was talking to you or someone else. I was like, they're almost getting like Jackie Moon giving out sandwiches and all kinds of other stuff. All kinds of stuff. Yeah, because it's crazy. They have a great everybody has a great halftime show now, man. You know what I mean? It's it's all kind of people swallowing knives, all kinds of things, man, in order to get you up in there.
SPEAKER_02You know, not to get off off topic or anything, but um, when you look at stuff like this, right? And you look at some of the practices of the NFL and and um you don't hear too much about baseball though. You don't hear too much about baseball. Not that I can recall. And if anybody listening to this, if you heard something crazy about baseball, just please let us know.
SPEAKER_01But you know, the thing about baseball is though, I honestly think they make so much money that it's in the team's best interest in all situations to cover it up or kind of figure out how to work it out before it gets crazy. But baseball has has had some things in uh uh in the past, you know, definitely it's one of the race most racist uh uh organizations, you know, throughout history. Remember, um, what's the the chick uh the uh manager the one time that says she had the million dollar she was playing million million dollar niggas or something like that? I think it's March Shot, I think it was or Marshot, I believe it was. It was a long time ago. But they they baseball is is real, has had some real crazy.
Disagreement Versus Being Labeled Hateful
SPEAKER_02What I was getting at is that you know, at what point do we look at all these things that we know and just say, like, look, man, maybe we need to put this down for a little bit? You know what I mean? Like in terms of just stop watching.
SPEAKER_01You know what sad as is right now is that um I've thought about that with football many times. Me too. What being a church going person, man? Ain't much you got in life to do other than watch some sports, you know, these days, you know what I mean? And go to church, and you know, so it's like the only thing that you could one of the only things that you can do where you're not really like doing something horrible, you know what I mean? So everybody loves it as a sport, but they are they historically, especially NFL been historically disrespectful to us as black people. I'm not even talking about Christians, you know, just to black people, you know, they've done some weird things over time and they got away with and got away with it and whatever, but uh you know, you want to put it away, but again, we you like it, man. Yeah, you know what I mean. I don't know what it would take for us to just, you know, you know, totally just say, nah, we don't want to mess with it anymore. But it's uh it's a tough thing.
SPEAKER_02It is. I mean, because like like you said, if he if the NBA is promoting Pride Month, you know what I mean, and it's something that you don't believe in. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, man. I mean, again, it goes back to the the the age old thing, man. I or where is this new thing? I won't say age old, but nowadays it's new thing. It's like everybody wants you to agree with them. I don't if you come if you come to me and say you're not a Christian, I don't care. You don't got nothing to do with me. I'm like, all right, well, great, wonderful, you're not a Christian. This whole LGBTQ uh push, it's like it's like everybody gotta agree with it. Nobody has to agree with it. I mean, could you imagine how, well, I mean, you know how hard it is for Christians every time you turn on a TV show, you know, something that you hold, you know, going against your moral code, it's always on television. You know what I mean? In every show, in every every situation, you know, and and again, I I think I said this before. A lot of people don't understand what people say when they're a Christian, man. People with a Christian, we believe in God. We believe in God is bigger than what I can see or imagine.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_01You know what I mean? I believe He set down some rules. He can see everything I've done. You know what I mean? I want to get in the kingdom of heaven. People that are religious, they believe you know everything I will do. People that believe in God, they believe that you know, if I do wrong, I'm gonna go to the you know, to hell, I'm gonna burn in hell forever, falling, burning forever. Eternity, it'll never stop our hunger and thirst forever. You know what I mean? So when you talk to somebody and you think you're an LGP, a person that's a part of that community, and you think that you know you can get them accepted and it's wrong for them to think about what they what their what their religious conviction is.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and like you say, it's not it's not about it's not about hate, it's about your belief because God is real. Scriptures is real, you know what I mean? Scriptures is real. That's that's what we believe. Certain lifestyles according to the scriptures that we believe and that this young man believes is is a sin. You know, it's considered sin. And when you know, we're not even just talking about you know, just the LGBTQ community. There's a lot of things in it that even straight people do that is like you know, is wrong. Yeah, it's wrong, is wrong. Yeah, and we all do, yeah. We all gotta look at our ourselves, you know, things that we do and think is wrong. So from that perspective, you know, agreeing with something they believe that you believe, or I believe, or anybody believes that's wrong, and feel like, you know, you're gonna feel like you're risking your soul over it. So and it's it's hard for the average person. I can only imagine a person that has some money and got, you know, a bunch of people depending on that money, depending on how hard you work, you know. That's not a small thing, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, it's it's it's very hard. And and and if you're a Christian, looking from the uh the the opposite side of things, it seems like whenever somebody does something against your moral code and belief, they're celebrated. Dennis Rodman can put on a dress and run around with lipstick on and everything like that, he's celebrated. Yeah, but if you if you walk to if you walk through that tunnel to NBA basketball game with a Bible in your hand, you think they're gonna show that clip? No, somebody's gonna come to you and say, Yo, listen, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you? You if you were a Muslim and you walk through with your head or your hijab and walk through that tunnel on game day, you're gonna have a problem. You know what I mean? But you've done this robber, you can do whatever you want to do. You can you can walk here and come in here in the dress, you know what I mean? You know, players got fingernail polish on, whatever the case may be, and all other weird activity outside of basketball, you can do whatever you want to do, and you'll be celebrated.
SPEAKER_02You'll be celebrated. I mean, for anybody who have you know their criticisms when they listen to this, understand something. We've said this on the show several times when topics like these come up, is that we don't hate the LGBT community LGBTQ community. We don't hate you, you human beings and everything like that. You got a right to work, got a right to eat, got a right to, you know, it's the the the the deed we're talking about, all right? So and that's the and that's the thing. And I think that when you do speak against something that you don't believe in, like I often use this, I often use this um analogy, man. It's that you have a family member that smoke crack.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_02I love my family member, but I don't love your crack smoking. But in this particular situation, you want us to say if you don't love me smoking crack, then you don't love me. You know what I mean? Well, you know, I'm telling you, it's it's the deed, it's not, it's not you, you know what I mean.
SPEAKER_01But you know the funny thing about an LGP uh person listening to that, they'll say, you know, then you're comparing them to crack smokers or something like that. You can say what you want. But I'm saying that no, I'm I'm saying I get what you're saying, but that's how they'll take it is like you you compare their lifestyle, the smoker. I don't care what you compare it to. It's something that I, you know, you could be a um uh fornicator, you can be a uh an adulteress, whatever it is, if it's against my religious code, you know, then I I don't have to accept it, you know what I mean? And that's just the bottom line of what it what it is.
SPEAKER_02And so and so what it boils down to is this is that again going back to this whole NBA situation, if they can tell you, like we promoting Pride Moff or whatever, and they can speak about these things openly, the community can speak about it openly, you gotta be open to the fact that there's gonna be disagreements, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01So and what and what what if they had Christian month? Right, you know, would you support that? You know what I mean? Wholeheartedly, not you know, you know, coming here how you are. Well, I mean, coming there um trying to bring your views into Christian month, you know what I mean? Because again, when it comes to like this thing called Pride Month and all that, I'm just not coming. I won't be involved in it, right? You know what I mean? So again, I and and I'm and you know, like I said, if it's a Christian month, a Christian Pride Month or something like that, I'm not gonna expect you to come there if you don't agree with it, and I'm not gonna be mad at you because you don't show up.
SPEAKER_02You can be a Muslim and not agree with that. Yeah, several basketball players is Muslim. So it's like, you know, you can say I'm not playing that game or whatever the case is. But here's a here's another question I have when I looked at this.
SPEAKER_01But before you go, I just want to say this the beautiful thing about what you just said is that, you know, and I've noticed this throughout my life so far. In some cases, and this is the you know, I will say about a Muslim, a real Muslim, a true Muslim know where we disagree. And a lot of times you can have your best conversation with a Muslim because we just know, all right, well, this is what you're doing, this is what I'm doing. And you could just have your best conversation with them because they're gonna stay starch on theirs, they're gonna stay. We just we split down the middle, we know where we are. We actually sometimes have a harder time talking to Christian people because you know, we might have disagreeing, ah the yada. Maybe the Muslim might have that same problem too, because they have the Shiites and then they have you know different kinds of Muslims. So, but you know, if you find I guess it's a more sort of like this if you find somebody that's objective, objective, you can actually sit down and almost have any conversation. I'm a man and I have my own thing. I don't what I do should not affect you. You know what I mean? It shouldn't affect you at all. You should not hang your hat on whether or not I care whether or not you're homosexual or not.
Company Loyalty Versus Personal Belief
SPEAKER_02Right. Right, right. And and and this is what I I'm I'm bringing it to, is because when I listened to like Stephen A. Smith, and when they asked him, you know, um, what do you think? I'm just paraphrasing y'all because I'm not going through a whole clip of it, but what do you think? He believes that they were well and within their right to let him go to the Chicago Bulls, right? Based upon the fact that he works for organization and he represents the organization. But the way to me that it sounds, and anybody who wants to watch that clip and come back and comment on it, he's basically saying, like, you don't have a personal opinion when you sign with these big organizations. Like, your opinion, you just a company person, and that's it, and you better go whatever they're saying to do. Now, with that being said, this kid is also allotted some protection for you know him um standing up for what he believes in. Do you think he has a basis to sue the Chicago Bulls?
SPEAKER_01I I've been saying that for a while because it's a lot of times people have had their whole careers destroyed because you know, just because of their own per per their own belief, you know what I mean? And again, I'm not for somebody coming in a locker room and trying to force people.
SPEAKER_02Never had an issue in a locker room.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, that's what they said so far. But I'm just I'm just using that, I'm just saying outright that you know, I'm not for nobody trying to force their religion on you or anything like that. But where I have the problem with Stephen A. Smith is is because if there was a homosexual person in the locker room, and this was a situation that was different, you know, we can't fight against that. You know what I mean? We would not have a fight, we won't have a leg to stand on, according to these people. They celebrate that. They sell they almost even when you say like um you stood up for homosexuality. Oh my goodness, he was so strong in the midst of uh you know the oppression.
SPEAKER_02Uh remember when they had that remember they had the uh NBA play, the first openly gay one come out, yeah, yeah. And um Barack called him, right? Yeah, Barack called him, called him, said he was brave, and you know what I mean, stuff like that.
SPEAKER_01But um, but um, but but like you said, imagine if somebody got drafted and they were sitting there with a Bible open, you know what I mean, whole family in there with Jesus' love shirts on and everything like that. Uh they probably wouldn't even show it.
SPEAKER_02Jason Collins. Yeah, Jason Collins, that's who I was.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. If a if if a if a brother got on there and uh just said, you know, uh uh some sort of religio strong religious religious message on the night he got drafted, they won't pump, they won't pump that. They ain't gonna pump it. You're gonna have a hard time with that, man. They'll blanket out or whatever the case may be. But again, if you do, like I said, not even with that, other things, you know what I mean? Uh just like um we were talking about going back to the black and white thing. They had I didn't even know this actually. I don't know how I missed it as much as I like sports. About the brother who stood up, who um stood up when everybody kneeled in the basket in NBA. I forget his name. Oh, yeah, yeah. I know, okay, okay.
SPEAKER_02And he refused to he that was because during the COVID.
Who Gets Celebrated In Sports
SPEAKER_01When everybody was kneeling for George George Floyd in the NBA. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Jonathan Isaac. He was he was the only brother, he was the only person that stood up, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he refused.
SPEAKER_01That brother, that dude, and this I guess at the end of the day, it's his right, but that man was held so much, and I I didn't even pay attention to this, man. And he was held so much. I think they said his jersey went to number two. As far as selling his jersey, his jersey went to number two. The man was bought on different shows and everything like that, and they were celebrating. I'm talking, I remember, and I thought it was just so weird, like this thing, like how you stood up in the face of uh you know all the danger and stuff that you were against and the pressure that you were against, you know what I mean? And like, come on, man. You when do we choose to celebrate what we want to celebrate? You know what I mean? Yeah, man, again, uh with that guy right there. If he wasn't forced to do anything, then maybe he might be a little overzone. And then's where's the help for him, too? Because we like to give LGBTQ community so much assistance and uh more. Support and um you know uh mental health help when they're going through the pressure. That kid might just be a kid that is just getting to God, he came through a rough situation, God brought him through it, and he just he's so excited, you know. I mean, he's only 24 years old.
SPEAKER_02For him to also kind of be penalized for you know sharing his belief, and it it doesn't make sense in the in the in the fact that he didn't say this in the middle of an NBA arena, he didn't say it at a press conference, he said on a live a lot of athletes have said and done some crazy stuff on done crazy stuff. Yeah, people, you know, had strippers on their joints and all type of stuff like that. And it's like you know, people do what they want, do what they want. So that's a that's an off thing, and yeah, and then even even the stripper thing is a little bit extreme because there is a code of conduct, I guess, in regards to that. But like just for having your uh opinion and and sharing your belief and what you think is right and wrong and moral and immoral, like how is that something that he like I say again, he should feel protected by that organization and say, all right, well, you have a right to believe what you want to believe, you know, you have a right to share what you want to share. He didn't do anything, he did he did it live in his car, you know. I mean, it's not like he was doing it and it was something crazy, you know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he just had a he had a conversation, you know, about you know how he felt about something. And again, it's such a fine line with all of this stuff, man, because again, you want to keep your job and you know, um, you don't really want to, I don't even say offend nobody because it ain't even about that, it's just your personal belief.
SPEAKER_02But why you just can't say I disagree with you? Key word in that is a conversation, like I disagree with this. So if it comes to the Pride Month, all right. Well, if you disagree, then all right, the month, I think Pride Month is in June, I believe. All right, well, you just don't play no games during that time. You could take the take that on the chin, you know what I mean? So that's your that's your rights, you know.
SPEAKER_01Or if you're trying to because I know a lot of time they'll try to put a rainbow on your uniform or something along those lines, I don't want it.
SPEAKER_02Because that's that that's like my man from the Flyers, man. You know what I mean? Where he they wanted to do that with the uniforms, and like he can't do it based upon his belief, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01So and then I don't want it.
SPEAKER_02It doesn't, it doesn't uh it doesn't make any sense to to actually you know penalize the young man. Because to be honest with you, when stuff like this happens, it it's almost like as if it's done to send a message to say y'all better stay in line. You know what I mean? Right.
SPEAKER_01So the next person I don't and and I don't like where this is going now anyway, because this goes back to even deeper. And this I said, this conversation could go all over the place because you know it goes right now to even with uh this current government right now, whereas like they're marginalizing everybody's conversation, you know what I mean, in order to fit, you know, whatever they got going, you know what I mean? So it goes with with them first, and it's like now it's like you can't you just can't say anything that you disagree with somebody. I don't have to agree with you, I don't have to like your way of life, you know what I mean? I don't have to. I can and I can work with you and still not like you, like your like your way of life, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And you know, it's and that's what it is is the conversation. You can't disagree without being called hateful all the time.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna tell you the one of the craziest thing. I probably never even told you this, man. I had a guy that worked with me one time that was gay. And I know I'd be honest with you, I don't hate gay people or anything like that, but you know, the guy was a he was a good guy, man. Outside, you know, we didn't uh obviously we didn't have any kind of agreement on that at all, but the man was a good worker.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's working.
SPEAKER_01He's a good good worker. What could you what could you say to a man that was good work? Very intelligent when you're talking to him, an intellectual conversation and stuff like that. You know, I just had to deal with him, you know, because we're working at work together, you know what I mean? And I I probably if you could speak to him now, he'd probably tell you we had a a good working relationship. There's no problem with working with somebody that disagrees with something that that you might necessarily not be a fan of, man. You know what I mean? Yeah, I've worked with Muslims, I work with um different religions, yeah. You know what I mean? Why wouldn't why when it comes to the LGBT community? Uh uh uh I keep messing it up, but you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah. Why when it comes to them, you know what I mean? It just seems like you gotta agree with this. People that's work that's I'm quite sure it's Buddhist, Muslim, some even probably atheists. You know what I mean? How many people you all work? You don't know their religion. It seemed like they wear that on their sleeve and then they you know they try to force it on people, man. That's how I feel, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and that's and that's what it is freedom of belief. So freedom of belief, freedom of belief. You gotta you know, respect the cross differences whether we can still talk to each other about you know tearing each other apart.
SPEAKER_01I just think it was kind of weird that he uh did the and again uh AI is so crazy now, but I I seen the thing where they posted they were saying that um he was saying Jesus is coming back during the uh during the game or something like that. At the end of the game, you said Jesus is coming back for you and uh you need you need to repent and all the other different stuff like that. So uh if if he did do that, then again, like I said, I'm listening to it as a Christian. I'm like, yes, you know what I mean. But then yeah, at the end of a game, people want to know the like what happened, you know, what was the how did you get to any hours coming into the game? Why did you perform so well? Why did you not perform so well? So I don't know if you know, and I have to pray about that, man, because I don't know if that was the perfect time to just to express that, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02Unless he felt like, you know, I got a press conference here, and that's the right time to grab everybody. I don't know, it could have affected it, could have affected somebody who was listening to it. I don't know, but maybe so you might grab.
SPEAKER_01But that's what I said. That's what my my thing is up in there. I just know that I've experienced a lot of people that they were overzealous, man. And you know, sometimes when you're overzealous with people, you can push, you can push those who might be interested in you away, man. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02That's truth. That's truth.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so just interested in in in what your way of life and what you're talking about.
Blacklisting Claims And Sue Or Not
SPEAKER_02With your way of life. So that before we wrap this up, this is this is what it is. It's like are you gonna be penalized for you know saying what you believe, what you, you know, proclaiming your proclaiming your faith, you know, is standing up against something that you don't believe in? It's people, it's people who don't believe in, you know, look at drinking alcohol and all that as a sin, right? But what if they tell you, all right, well, we gonna, you know, we as the Chicago Boy organization wanna, I don't know, promote Michelobe light. You know what I mean? Or micelobe or something like that. So it's like, and you say, no, I'm not doing it. Is that against the team's code of conduct because you disagree with, you know, advertising alcohol?
SPEAKER_01See, and that's another thing that's gonna come through with that, because you're not as a Christian, you're not supposed to promote anything like that, man. But on the same token, it's like I I think that's where great play is coming at. You know what I mean? Because again, if you Kevin Durant and you tell them you ain't wearing it, they ain't gonna put it on your uniform. You know what I mean? If you Jaden Ivy, you know what I mean, they might talk to you a little different. You know what I mean? Oh, and I'm not saying he's not a, you know, he's obviously a decent player, but he's not Kevin Durant. So I think even I believe, honestly speaking, if Kevin Durant had made made those statements, I don't know if he would be, I don't know if he would have got kicked off the team. He might have had a conversation or something like that. All of this is also too based off of money, you know what I mean? Because technically speaking, it like you said, I think he's gonna end up the kid, uh Jaden Ivy, I think he got a 10, I believe his last contract was 10 million dollars. Whatever it is, I believe how they explained it was like even though they let him go, he's still gonna get his money. You know what I mean? So, you know, and uh for 10 million dollars, they probably was like, it's not worth the headache, you know what I mean? Yeah because they know what's coming with it, you know what I mean? And uh as soon as you say something about the LGBTQ community, they uh they're coming. And uh like I said, what can you do?
SPEAKER_02One final thing, man. That's a question. Do you think this kid uh career is over in terms of the NBA? Do you think they kind of like blacklisted him?
SPEAKER_01More than likely, because that's the history of the NBA. You know what I mean? I mean, he was vocal. Uh Chris Jackson, I don't you know his Muslim name. I moved I moved I think the one you just read it about.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, right off.
SPEAKER_01I always mess his name up, but uh Chris Jackson man was was basically pushed out of there, you know, for not standing up for the national anthem. You know, and Chris Jackson was a beast. Yeah, I mean so I mean uh it's it's been other instances within the NBA where people was you know how to stand up for certain things. Uh I think even Craig Hodges said he believed he was blacklisted or something like that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01You know what I mean? So, you know, and I think that was more about political views, but you know, if you if you go against a lot of these organizations, man, this these this ain't just limited to basketball. It's been many different sports organizations, whereas if you went against the you know their uh code of ethics, then next thing you know, you off in oblivion, and people like man, I don't know what happened to him. He used to be pretty good.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so you gotta continue to stand up for what you believe.
SPEAKER_01And he don't have the bigger name, he don't have a big enough name to wish to stand it. You know what I mean? Look at Mark Jackson.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Look at Mark Jackson. Mark Jackson built the powerhouse in Golden State. That organization was horrible before the man got there. Nobody knew it there. Now the Golden State Warriors is like almost like the like, you know, just the name is just important as the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers, anything. The man rebuilt the organization. He can't get a job in the NBA. Wow. You know what I mean? I don't know, and why and why can't they not sue? I think they ought to be able to sue.
SPEAKER_02They should. They should. Religious discrimination.
SPEAKER_01Because if you got kicked out for anything else, you'd be able to sue it, you know, especially when you don't have no history of bad conduct. Like we said, according to this, you know, everything I seen online from this kid, you don't have no bad locker room etiquette. Even as they let him go, they was kind of like basically saying, like, we letting him go because you know, we just don't like the way he's going in regards to this, or you know, he doesn't, you know, go along with our code of ethics, but they never really said anything. They said they, I think they even in the um the fair world, they wished him well or something like that. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah.
Subscribe Info And Final Words
SPEAKER_02But it's a crazy world we live in, man. But any any any other job in the USA, I sue him. I sue him. All right, the only one money podcast is available on every platform you stream your podcast on. Also hit that subscribe button, rate the show, and don't forget to check out my YouTube channel for the panelists in the coming episodes. Follow us on other social platforms. Instagram mics, the only one mic being one. Facebook and LinkedIn, the only one mic on my cannon, so you can email us at the only one mic00gmail.com or 302 367 721. Your comments may be played on the show. We thank everybody for their coming. Yeah, as always, we encourage you guys to speak the truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant, because they too have their story to tell. So until next time, please keep in mind if you never had to run from the Ku Klans clan, then you shouldn't have to run from a black man. Peace.