The basketball player is objecting to the NBA have any recognition of white people. Jerry West didn’t own slaves and he wasn’t evena Confederate (West Virginia seceded from Virginia when that state seceded from the Union). But, he was white. Still is, probably.
As it is, the NBA has a mix of people that it recognizes; these include:
Bill Russell Award - MVP of NBA Finals
Kobe Bryant Award - MVP of NBA All-Star Game
Joe Dumars Award - for sportsmanship
Any player (whatever his color) receiving these awards should feel honored to be associated with these named greats of the NBA and the entire history of the league.
Other named-awards reflect the history of the league. Of course, history is another thing the anti-Americans hate. The idea that America is what it is today because it has been shaped by 200+ years of history, including civil rights history, is nothing to the haters. Perfection is the standard by which they judge others. And, hating white people and America is their virtue.
In the meanwhile, they excuse men of their color who father children outside of marriage, leaving the mothers to go on welfare; they squander the millions of dollars they earn; and, they justify corrupt black politicians and all kinds of black crime from shoplifting to looting to rape and murder.
This isn’t just hate and racist, it is dysfunctional to the point of genocide. It killed the black family, the black community, millions of black babies, and millions of young black Americans who could have had happy and productive lives.
The NHL ditched all of this because they wanted to market hockey to casual sports fans who have no appreciation for the game’s history and culture.
The NBA probably has the same challenge right now. It just doesn’t know it. I’ll bet most black NBA fans — and even most NBA players — have no idea who Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson were. They couldn’t tell you anything about Joe Dumars. In ten years they won’t even remember who Kobe Bryant was.