Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and his DEI acolytes have spent a good portion of 2024 touting the greatness of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The billionaire NBA owner took to X to promote how it helps corporations flourish, succeed, and prosper, including the NBA.
So it was shocking to see that Cuban and the DEI crowd did not celebrate or publicly acknowledge Mac McClung becoming the first white person in the history of the NBA to win the Slam Dunk Contest in consecutive years (and the first white man to win since 1996).
I waited over a week to write this because I genuinely wanted to see if anyone would have acknowledged this milestone. I cannot say I am shocked that no one did.
Anyone who watches sports or pays attention to pop culture can tell you that anytime a non-white athlete is the first (insert race here) to (insert sports accomplishment here), it receives widespread attention and praise. So then, why didn’t McClung get the same kind of recognition? The answer: because he is a white male.
As much as anti-white stereotypes are allowed to exist in this country, the one about white men being unable to jump has been around for a long time. There was even a classic ’90s comedy movie about it — two if you count the horrible 2023 remake — aptly titled White Men Can’t Jump. If there were ever a true diversity accomplishment or milestone to celebrate, especially in sports, it would be a white man winning the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest, let alone in consecutive years.
Furthermore, given that white men are a minority in the NBA, recognizing a racial minority’s accomplishment would seem to be everything DEI enthusiasts want. Yet, unless I missed something, everyone failed to appreciate this momentous occasion. Why? As mentioned earlier, it’s because McClung is a white man. See, diversity and inclusion really aren’t about diversity and inclusion. It’s a left-wing dog whistle, which truthfully means “not white.” It’s a sociopolitical aspect of our culture that must stop.
If we want to live in a society where we celebrate diversity and acknowledge feats and milestones of people based on race, then fine. I have no qualms celebrating, recognizing, or acknowledging the first (insert race here) to accomplish (insert achievement here). But if we are going to do it, then do it for every race. Otherwise, failure to do so exposes the fraud behind diversity, equity, and inclusion. The sooner people realize that, the better.