Kanye West’s Donda Academy players have received a dose of moral support from a trio of NBA players amid news that several national tournaments dropped the team due to Ye’s recent antisemitic and Anti-Black statements.
Last week, Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown cut ties with the rapper’s Donda Sports agency. Despite this, he believes the students should not have to suffer over the owner’s antics. On Friday, he took to Twitter as rumors swirled that the school would close for the remainder of the year.
“To any HS basketball coaches & event coordinators, These student athletes can’t be negatively impacted by this,” Brown wrote. “I will sponsor any event existing or new, willing to host Donda Academy / We all must ensure they complete their senior yr both academically & athletically. Contact me,” he said before adding later, “We do not cancel our kids.”
We do not cancel our kids
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) October 28, 2022
Morehouse College Drops Donda Academy
Jaylen Brown said Morehouse College dropping Donda Academy from its schedule was “an unfortunate retraction.” The college explained it “cannot condone” Kanye West’s “recent divisive and unproductive statements.”
Donda Academy was due to play Atlanta’s The Skill Factory at Morehouse on Nov. 6 but Brown said the team is “currently looking for another solution.”
An unfortunate retraction but the kids and family appreciate the consideration currently looking for another solution https://t.co/TVVJvqTVut
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) October 31, 2022
Brown was joined by his Celtics teammate Blake Griffin and Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving on Sunday to give the team a pep talk via Zoom call.
“[The NBA players] were just telling us that they were going to have our back, and they were going to help us through the process,” senior guard AJ Johnson said, as per LA Times.
According to Johnson, students are unsure whether to remain at the school and are aware they may suffer repercussions.
“At the end of the day, with the Donda Dove on our chest, we’re basically playing for Kanye,” Johnson said. “It’s his school. So having our names tied to him could lead to some things: NIL’s wouldn’t want to do any deals with us or people wouldn’t want to sign us, or anything like that.”
He explained: “We don’t know if it’s a good choice to just stay [at Donda],” or “find somewhere else where we can go.”
“I feel like it just doesn’t have anything to do with us. Like, we’re just going to play basketball. We don’t support the stuff that he’s saying,” Johnson said.