By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Racism is the subject of the latest “Table Talk” documentary presented by Euroleague Basketball. The hard-hitting and thought-provoking documentary was produced in support of Not in Our World, Euroleague Basketball’s joint awareness campaign with the EuroLeague Players’ Association. It uncovers the prejudices and discrimination faced by black basketball players as they attempt to build their careers, and also considers the wider social implications of this urgent issue.
Several Turkish Airlines EuroLeague players speak candidly about their experiences, including Howard Sant-Roos of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, Shaquielle McKissic of Olympiacos Piraeus and Ilimane Diop of TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Former Valencia player Larry Abia and FC Barcelona women’s team player Magatte Niang also feature, and Abia recalls a particularly disturbing incident of racism when he was refused the opportunity to rent an apartment because of his skin color.
“I remember we were looking for apartments for that season. One day I went to an appointment and two older Spanish people came. They were the owners. I saw that they were looking at me in a bad way. I said ‘Hello’ and they turned around surprised, as if they had not seen me. I was the only other person there. Then they told me that the apartment had already been rented. I replied ‘It can’t be. How can that be? I am the first to come and see it. How can it be rented already?’ As I was turning, I heard the husband say ‘We won’t rent it to him because he’s from abroad. He’s black’.”
The video also features a heartfelt conversation between slam dunk champion Marquie Smith and journalist Moha Gerehou, who gave a startling example of everyday racism rooted in a lack of education:
“Talking about ignorance. I remember once when I was in the university, and one of my classmates asked me if we – black people – when we go to the shower, if our skin was fading in the shower. And I was like, what kind of question is that?!”
Hear it out from the protagonists themselves below: