Photo Courtesy of Hubert Davis/ Instagram
Hubert Davis was named as a head basketball coach for the University of North Carolina (UNC), and the Divison I college set up a press event to fully welcome Davis. Filled with journalists and cameras, the event was supposed to allow Davis to answer questions and introduce himself. However, the goofball coach also took time to acknowledge how “proud” he is of his white wife.
Making UNC history, Davis was hired as the school’s first African-American head coach ever, according to Forbes. The North Carolina native was drafted into the NBA in 1992 and has played for various teams, including the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, before leaving professional basketball in 2004.
At Tuesday’s introductory press conference, Davis was asked about the importance he felt in being UNC’s first black head coach.
“It’s significant that I’m African-American and I’m the head coach here,” he began. “It’s significant. I know that in terms of Division I head coaches all around the country, only 26% of the head coaches for Division I men’s basketball are compromised by minorities, specifically African-Americans.”
That’s when Davis’s answer took a turn for the worst.
“I’m very proud to be African-American. But I’m also very proud that my wife is white.” He then continued to confuse everyone by adding, “And I’m very proud that my three beautiful, unbelievable kids are a combination of both of us.”
Related Story: Hank Aaron’s Grandson Slams Kelly Loeffler: “Keep My Grandfather’s Name Out Of Your Mouth”
Twitter immediately snagged the video clip and shared it on their feeds with their thoughts on the strange tangent Davis went on. Many were also confused as to what lead him to mention his pride in his white wife at all when the original question was about him making history and creating more diversity in sports coaching.
One person joked, “Hubert Davis is explaining how to tell people your black but you’re not like thooooooossssseee blacks by dropping that he has a white wife.”
Another user joked about Davis’s wholly unnecessary mentioning of his wife and kids’ skin color, writing “‘What color do you want UNC’s uniforms to be for this season?’ Hubert Davis: ‘Let’s make em white, like my wife and kids.’”
Davis has also coached junior varsity basketball in his home state, eventually making a name for himself in the coaching world. So much so, that UNC had been eyeing him as a contender before asking him on to replace Roy Williams, who recently announced his retirement.
Hopefully, Davis’ coaching skills will be better than his need to give useless information.