Kobe Bryant has never been one to hold his tongue.

On Thursday, March 28th, a quote from an interview was released in which Kobe Bryant said that he wasn’t going to support a cause simply because he was Black. He was making reference to the Trayvon Martin case and the Miami Heat’s show of solidarity, as you can see from the photo below.

Image courtesy of huffingtonpost.com.

The excerpts from the interview in which Kobe spoke on Trayvon Martin can be read here.

While I understand Kobe’s point, I strongly disagree with his timing and the example that he used. The case of Trayvon Martin was the wrong example to use for what Kobe was trying to say, in my opinion. The better example to use would have been when Black people say “Free (insert name),” despite (insert name) having killed 10 people or committing other heinous crimes. THAT example is what Kobe was talking about when he said jumping to the defense of someone just because of race.

As a father of two children, Kobe should have been more sensitive to the Trayvon Martin case, and he should have been cognizant of the realities of America for minorities, especially since he is one himself. Yes, the country has progressed, but the case of Trayvon Martin showed that there is still plenty of progress to be made.