Former NBA player Royce White praised Kyrie Irving for his willingness to take controversial public positions while sharply criticizing Colin Kaepernick during an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson.
White argued that Kaepernick’s decision to protest during the national anthem was significant but said he believes the former NFL quarterback did not take his activism far enough.
“Colin Kaepernick had a perfectly good opportunity to transform the dialogue about American culture and politics, and he failed the test,” White said.
White maintained that Kaepernick was “prophetic” in identifying professional sports as a distraction from broader social and political issues, but argued that Kaepernick’s subsequent partnerships and public activism represented a departure from the type of opposition White believes he initially demonstrated.
“He was prophetic in saying, ‘Wait a second, there is a theater taking place here with professional sports that is distracting Americans, maybe people worldwide, from the most important issues of our time,’” White said. “Nobody could argue with that. I certainly wouldn’t argue with that, and that was prophetic.”
White specifically criticized Kaepernick’s association with major corporations and media companies, arguing that such relationships were inconsistent with his view of challenging powerful institutions.
“From an informational standpoint, the establishment that he spoke out against, at some point in time, decided to greenlight—uh, to greenlight, to—to okay, to mainstream, to subsidize the—the movement that he stand—stood for and the movement that he stands with, and that is the Black Lives Matter movement,” the former NBA player said.
“And I don’t think—and I don’t even realize—I don’t even understand how anybody could deny that fact. That the—the overwhelming majority of the mainstream media is not only in full support of the Black Lives Matter movement, platform, message, but it’s become integrated alongside the LGBTQ and the radical feminist political movements.”
“What can be more—what could be more contradictory than the Black Lives Matter movement, who decries the spill of neocolonialism, teaming up with the—the Victoria Nulands of the world?” White said. “My f*cking goodness, the Victoria Nulands of the world, who are responsible for the entire foreign policy of the modern American government! And—and not her specifically, but the—the lineage that she comes from. Brzezinski, okay, Mika Brzezinski’s father, Zbigniew—these people are the architecture of the current, uh, American foreign policy. So, how can you scream “Free Palestine” and you team up for the Ukraine war with these motherf*ckers?”
“Where’s the evolution of the protest? Show me the evolution of it,” White said. “It’s 14 years later and you’re still talking about the NFL?”
“If—if Colin Kaepernick’s answer to racism in America is communism, then f*ck him. Then—then not only is he—is he, uh, dumb, but he’s dangerous,” he added.
The former NBA player contrasted Kaepernick with Irving, whom he identified as an athlete he respects for taking positions that White considers difficult.
“Absolutely. Kyrie Irving has surpassed Colin Kaepernick in terms of the genuine impact of his public platform,” White said when asked whether he respected Irving’s approach.
White has previously discussed his own disputes with the NBA over mental health policies and used those experiences to explain why he considers himself more willing to challenge institutions directly. He also referenced a 2020 protest he said he organized outside the Federal Reserve in Minneapolis, arguing that economic issues deserved greater attention.
White also challenged Kaepernick to debate him publicly about their differing political views.
“I’d love to debate him,” White said. “Open debate. Open challenge for a debate. Let’s talk about the politics of our time as two athletes on two different sides of the political divide that sacrificed something.”
White acknowledged that Kaepernick had sacrificed his NFL career through his activism, saying that was something he would not take away from him.
“He did sacrifice something, I’ll never take that away,” White said. “But let’s come on, man, it’s 14 years later and you’re still talking about the NFL?”
White’s comments come as he continues to build a political profile through independent media and podcast appearances. He said alternative media has allowed athlete-politicians to communicate directly with audiences without relying exclusively on traditional news organizations.
The interview also saw White discuss his admiration for other athletes and personalities, including Stephen A. Smith, Aaron Rodgers and Sophie Cunningham, while describing Irving as one of the athletes he believes is willing to take difficult public positions.
