Radio host Howard Stern complained this week that it bothers him when black players on the New York Knicks don’t come up to him when he sits courtside at games.
He made the comment to his co-host Robin Quivers on his SiriusXM program, The Howard Stern Show. He explained in detail how the players ignore him and why it bothers him. (RELATED: ‘Going F*cking Berserk’: Howard Stern Rips MSNBC For Being Obsessed With Trump)
“You know, they seat you where they seat you. And a lot of times when I’m there, I’m next to Tracy Morgan, who is, you know, so funny. And he’s sitting there and like, a couple of the players will come over. They, like, give him that bro shake and stuff. And I’m like — these guys should hug me, too,” Stern explained. “I grew up in a black neighborhood, they should know that.”(RELATED: Howard Stern Says Kid Rock ‘Flamboyant In His Own Way’ After Singer Protests Against Bud Light’s Transgender Promoter)
“But I get ignored,” he continued. “I think ’cause I’m a white guy.”
Howard Stern says black NBA players ignores him at Knicks games
“The Black players won’t come over and say hello to me, but they go over to Spike Lee. I grew up in a Black neighborhood, you know what I mean? I mean they should know that. But I get ignored.”
(h/t @RTNBA ) pic.twitter.com/9aSJOfRUpf
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 5, 2023
He noted that the snubbing was particularly irksome because fame is “very important” to him. While he acknowledged that both black and white referees often came up to him, he still wishes the black players did as well.
“I want them to talk to me. I want them to come up and go, ‘Hey Howard, fan of the show’ or something. But no, I don’t get that,” he said. (RELATED: Priyanka Chopra Tells Howard Stern Her Father Put Bars On Windows To Keep Boys Away)
Twitter users were not too sympathetic with Stern’s plight, with some pointing out his history of blackface as a potential reason for the snub.
It’s ironic that Howard Stern thinks racism is a factor when he’s ignored by young NBA players. pic.twitter.com/55iSIgfMEn
— RazzleDMX (@DmxRazzle) May 5, 2023
When Quivers asked if him if he believed it was racial, Stern responded, “I’d like to think it’s a white thing, not my personality. I hope it’s racial. That’s all.”