Stan Van Gundy Talks Social Justice, Says He's 'Poster Boy for White Privilege'

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy said he's lived a "privileged life" and credited the people around him for making him realize the importance of social justice.

Van Gundy told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated in an interview released Wednesday it's crucial for white people to stand with the Black community in pursuit of equality.

"We're the ones that are racist," he said. "It's a white person's problem that affects people of color, and so we're the ones who have to change. ... Certainly you want to promote Black voices, right? But if they're the only ones speaking out, a lot of people just push it aside. There needs to be people saying, 'No, wait a minute. This is wrong, and we need to correct these things.'"

The 61-year-old California native said he started becoming more involved in politics after he was fired as head coach of the Orlando Magic in May 2012. He became the face of a campaign to raise property taxes in Florida's Seminole County in an effort to increase funding for public schools.

He grew his efforts after former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started a widespread movement to kneel during the U.S. national anthem before games to protest racial injustice.

"When he took a knee, and racial justice became forefront, and you're in a business where 75, 80 percent of the people that you're working with, players, staff, everybody is Black, and you're hearing their stories, and the pain and things like that," Van Gundy told Spears.

He said it's not an easy topic because you can "alienate a lot of people" by discussing white privilege: "They're working their ass off just to get by, and they're like, 'What the hell are you talking about? There's no such thing as white ... I'm not privileged.'"

"I'm a poster boy for white privilege," Van Gundy told Spears. "I've led a privileged life, so I only know about these issues, and these problems, and these inequities from people I've been associated with, work with, know, care about. I don't carry the issue. But just because something doesn't happen to you, if it's happening to people you know, if it's happening to people you care about, you care about the issue."

The SUNY Brockport product, who's leading his fourth NBA coaching staff after previous stops with the Magic, Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons, added he's not trying to convince fellow white people they haven't worked hard but instead trying to make them realize the hurdles facing other Americans.

"You may not have an easy life, but you're not oppressed simply because of the color of your skin," Van Gundy said. "That's the difference. I'm not going to get pulled over driving around at night, I'm not, just because of the color of my skin. I'm not going to get a DWB [driving while Black], I'm not. That's white privilege."

He also credited two fellow coaches, the San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich and Golden State Warriors' Steve Kerr, for speaking out on the important issues despite a bitterly divided political climate.

Van Gundy and the Pelicans open the 2020-21 season Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors.