Skip Bayless bizarrely leapt to the defense of white athletes this week after ‘little white kid’ Mac McClung won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
The topic of race has sparked multiple controversies in the sporting world over the past year. WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark faced backlash for her comments on the ‘white privilege’ she experienced when entering the league.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean and safety Reed Blankenship were dubbed the ‘Exciting Whites’ after their Super Bowl LIX victory.
And the former Fox Sports analyst strayed into the territory during Tuesday’s episode of ‘The Skip Bayless Show,’ when he appeared to suggest that white athletes weren’t receiving enough credit.
‘Just as I’ve always acknowledged the dominance of the Black athlete, I think now it’s time to give some credit to some white athletes who are just shattering the mold,’ Bayless said.
The 73-year-old, who has been named in a lawsuit by a former Fox stylist who claims he offered her millions to have sex with him, focused on McClung, who he hailed as the ‘greatest contest dunker ever.’
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Skip Bayless claimed white athletes weren’t receiving the credit they deserve on his show
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Defending NBA Slam Dunk champion Mac McClung jumped over a car on his way to victory
The 26-year-old sealed a three-peat at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend, leaping over a Kia Sedan among his outrageous stunts to claim the title.
The G League MVP with the Osceola Magic went up against Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls, Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs, and Andre Jackson Jr. of the Milwaukee Bucks.
And Bayless insisted that McClung was not given his dues – despite not playing in the NBA.
‘[He] still isn’t getting nearly the respect he deserves, mostly because he is a little white guy, and supposedly can’t play basketball,’ Bayless said, recalling how he ‘grew up hearing that “white men can’t jump.”‘
Following McClung’s third straight victory, NBA superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant expressed interest in throwing their hats in the ring – interest which Bayless swiftly shut down.
‘Mac McClung can skywalk. He can power slam. He has Jordanesque hang time,’ Bayless said. ‘Giannis, you’ve got no shot. Ja, you obviously can jump out of the gym … but so can this little white kid.’
Bayless did preface his comments by establishing his long-standing praise for black athletes throughout his media career.
‘I don’t know any white commentator who’s been more outspoken about racial and social justice than I’ve been over the last 20-odd years,’ Bayless said.ss said.
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Bayless insisted that ‘little white kid’ McClung wasn’t give enough respect after his win
‘I have constantly pointed out that Black players in football and especially in basketball have consistently proven to be for the last 50-odd years, generally better than white players.
‘Obviously, it hasn’t bothered me a bit that the NBA I have fanatically loved for about 50-odd years has been as high as about 80% Black players.’
But he veered off track again as he went on to claim that Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, could come basketball’s first ‘white American star’ since Larry Bird.
He then pivoted to ‘6-foot-tall white girl from Iowa’ Clark and DeJean, who picked off Patrick Mahomes for a touchdown during the Eagles’ Super Bowl triumph.
‘I just never thought I’d see the day that a Caitlin Clark would become the hottest thing in women’s pro basketball,’ Bayless said. ‘For that matter, I never thought I’d see another Sunday that a white guy would start at cornerback in the National Football League, let alone star at cornerback.
‘Cooper DeJean has big-time athletic ability. He has real quickness, real speed, real strength. … You wonder if Cooper DeJean was ever socialized by parents or coaches to believe, ‘White kids don’t ever play that position.”
‘We are suddenly seeing things from white athletes that five years ago, I would have bet a lot of money against,’ Bayless added as he also mentioned Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
‘It just seems like the long-term greatness of Black athletes has forced some white athletes to just evolve. … I think this is great for sports.’
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The former Fox analyst pivoted to WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark and Eagles CB Cooper DeJean
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DeJean picked off Patrick Mahomes for a touchdown during the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win
Clark, in particular, found herself at the center of a race storm during her first season in the WNBA amid accusations that she was the victim of jealousy and bullying.
In one moment that captured the attention across the nation, the Fever star was shoved to the ground by Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter.
Some figures, meanwhile, have also claimed that black players are not given the recognition they deserve.
‘It doesn’t matter how hard I work,’ said A’ja Wilson, of the Las Vegas Aces, in May.
‘It doesn’t matter what we all do as black women, we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug.’
After being named TIME Magazine’s ‘Athlete of the Year’ in December, the Indiana Fever star said the WNBA has ‘been built on’ black players and that ‘as a white person, there is privilege’.
The former Iowa Hawkeye said that ‘the more we can elevate Black women that’s going to be a beautiful thing’.
‘I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,’ she stressed.
‘A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.’
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