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Pelicans players serve owner dinner in cringe-worthy pregame video

Oct 29, 2014, 9:45 AM EDT

The Spurs had a natural pregame plan for tonight’s season opener – handing out championship rings.

Forced to come up with something original, the Pelicans went with this (hat tip: Zach Harper of Eye on Basketball).

I don’t think anyone meant to be racist with this advertisement/hype video, but nobody involved saw a group of young, mostly black players serving their white “owner” dinner as an uncomfortable image? I’m hunting to blame anyone in particular, but maybe the Pelicans don’t have a proper range of viewpoints in whatever department concocted this skit.

Also: That acting, though.

  1. asimonetti88 - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:00 AM

    It’s not racist, it’s just lame

    • jeffkx - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:14 AM

      Bingo

    • arrondior - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:18 PM

      I think its one of those things that is not racist but in bad taste. Even if they were all white they still shouldn’t have been cooking and serving the owner food like that. And then like you said, it was lame.

      • Unidentified_Flying_Stiviano - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:48 PM

        Lame as hell. Terrible idea. Not racist. Feldman pushing the race card to generate hits.

  2. profantasyplyr - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:24 AM

    No one had the balls to tell the boss how dumb and racist that would look.

  3. xli2006 - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:25 AM

    Woah, Long live the Union.

    Give the South a few more decades, they’ll catch up.

  4. raybrower - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:42 AM

    Yeah way more dumb than offensive.

  5. jcmeyer10 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:00 AM

    C’mon Besh.

  6. 00maltliquor - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:08 AM

    Who came up with this concept, Donald Sterling?

  7. jimb031 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:09 AM

    if you thought this was bad, you should see last year’s video of them singing

  8. timberwolvesbrisin - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:11 AM

    I think this writer is the real racist.

    • reesesteel23 - Oct 29, 2014 at 2:46 PM

      I knew there was one out there. Good Job.

  9. basketballhooper1 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:15 AM

    STOP MAKING EVERYTHING YOU SEE ABOUT RACE!

  10. lacarious - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:17 AM

    The spirit of Donald sterling is alive and well in the Nba. Racism will neva die.

  11. doug2626 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:33 AM

    It was about the restaurant at the stadium. More grabbing for straws.

  12. themars211 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    Something is off. This is ignorant at the very least.

  13. yesser12 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:42 AM

    Its pretty pointless, they could have done something creative.

  14. imjustthemom - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:47 AM

    Are any of y’all from NOLA? We’re all about the food here; John Besh is a big star; the coach was in on it so it wasn’t just players, and it was the entire starting line-up + Anderson; they weren’t servers, they were chefs and chefs are sorta rockstars in New Orleans. Not racist— they’re not good actors, it was lame, they could have done better, but totally not racist, at least not here in New Orleans if you understand the culture they were referencing.
    Doug, fyi the restaurant Borgne isn’t at the stadium.

    • nomad57 - Oct 29, 2014 at 5:05 PM

      +1. John Besh is all over New Orleans, always looks happy and will talk to you first, good rep for the city and Borne is within walking distance (3 blocks ish).

  15. Hard On For Harden - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:49 AM

    Lame attempt at humor. But people like you who are so desperate to prove that you’re acceptable of everyone grasp at straws to look down on others. I guess all minorities in the service industries should just quit their jobs in protest.

  16. tribefan1199 - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:09 PM

    You’re reaching with a click-bait headline like that. It’s just normal, cringe inducing acting by athletes. Nothing racist about this as you insinuate.

    Next time though, they’ll make a video with Ryan Anderson, Omer Asik, Jimmer Fredette, Luke Babbitt and Jeff Withey. You know, the guys that the Pelicans fans come to the arena to see and will easily recognize.

    • Kurt Helin - Oct 29, 2014 at 7:16 PM

      I personally think the acting made it cringe-worthy.

  17. jlinatl - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:26 PM

    Stretch

    At what point does it cross over the line. Is it because you think working in a restaurant is not honorable? NOLA is know for the restaurants. and… The players are already in a service industry. Professional sports is entertainment.

  18. csbanter - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:27 PM

    Don’t start this crap again we had enough of this over the summer.These are grown men if they chose to be a part of a moronic video so be it.

  19. demasane - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:46 PM

    you’re reaching. nothing racist about this.

  20. pburghballin - Oct 29, 2014 at 2:32 PM

    oh geeze. Give the freaking racism thing a rest. For one day. Give it a rest.

  21. reesesteel23 - Oct 29, 2014 at 2:51 PM

    This isn’t even close to racist. Just lame like everyone else said.

    Besides, most didn’t even think what Paula Dean or Riley Cooper said was racist. What kind of response did you think you would get from this?

    • skids003 - Oct 29, 2014 at 4:02 PM

      Clicks. Plus if the media don’t keep stirring it up, they’ll have to write actual articles.

  22. ProBasketballPundit - Oct 29, 2014 at 4:33 PM

    Day freaking one of the NBA and PBT is already playing a race card? That’s lamer than the video.

  23. ProBasketballPundit - Oct 29, 2014 at 4:37 PM

    “You don’t dip, you dunk like this.” -Anthony Davis

    *insert white hand with ring that obviously doesn’t belong to Anthony Davis*

  24. ProBasketballPundit - Oct 29, 2014 at 4:57 PM

    They effed up the green screen shot at the end badly. The whole team must be materializing from the ground. And Monty Williams sounds like he’s having a stroke in the middle.

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