Bernard King is one of my favorite Knicks so it makes it even harder to hear these kinds of stories. SMH. Bernard King talks about an experience he had at the University of Tennessee in ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary. 30 for 30 Bernie and Ernie premieres tonight at 8p. Report after the jump…
Via ESPN:
Bernard King says he dealt with racism off the court that included clashes with police while starring for Tennessee in the 1970s.
In an ESPN “30 for 30” documentary airing Tuesday, King said that former Volunteers coach Ray Mears warned him that he’d heard some local officers would “do anything to get him.”
King, the first former Tennessee player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. cites one incident in which he says an officer hit him in the head with the butt of his gun while responding to a loitering report. The documentary, titled “Bernie and Ernie,” focuses on the friendship of King and former Tennessee teammate Ernie Grunfeld.
King played for Tennessee from 1974-77 after arriving from Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. He said he had never talked about the racism he encountered during his college years with anyone but his family before discussing the issue in the film.
“The basic reason is relatively simple,” King said in a telephone interview. “I’m 56 years old. I’ve never talked about anything that was private. Everything was always related to the game and my impact on the game of basketball and what I thought about that. I never revealed anything from the private side. I just felt compelled at this time in my life to talk about those things because for many years you carry that around. It was very important for me to share that.”
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