NBA
Larry Nance Jr. takes jab at the Magic for donating money to a pro-Ron Desantis group
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated03 Aug 2023
After reports came out that the Magic administration apparently donated money to an organization that supports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid, Pelicans foward Larry Nance Jr. couldn’t help but state the hipocrisy of these actions.
It seems that the Orlando Magic LTD donated a total of $50,000 to Never Back Down Inc., group which describes itself as a “grassroots movement to elect Governor Ron DeSantis for President in 2024.”
Even though the Federal Election Commission has the date of the receipt listed as June 26, a spokesperson from the team later clarified that check was dated and delivered on May 19, and that DeSantis announced his intention to run for president five days later.
Nevertheless, the NBA player made a sarcastic remark to expose the Magic’s political actions with a tweet.
NBA forward Larry Nance, Jr. (@Larrydn22) used a fake narrative about RACIST curriculum in Florida to slam Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Stick to sports, bud.https://t.co/iM3nL8pQnD
— OutKick (@Outkick) August 3, 2023
“So the @OrlandoMagic who have a majority black roster, a black head coach, and a black GM decided it was a good idea to support a man that claims that slavery had personal benefits for the enslaved?” Nance posted on his own Twitter account.
This wasn’t the first time that the franchise actively participates in a political campaign, as just last year the Orlando Magic LTD donated $25,000 to DeSantis and in 2020 they supported Democratic Florida State Sen. Geraldine Thompson.
Even though a spokesman for the team told the press that they never “publicly comment on political contributions,” the Magic finally explained their actions this Wednesday.
“To clarify, this gift was given before Governor DeSantis entered the presidential race,” the franchise said in a statement. “It was given as a Florida business in support of a Florida governor for the continued prosperity of Central Florida.”
DeSantis officially announced his decision to run for president on May 24.
The Florida Governor insists that his ideas over slavery were misinterpreted as part of the opposition’s political agenda
DeSantis was left under fire after Vice President Kamala Harris and other democratic politicians claimed that Florida’s school curriculum teaches young minds that slaves in the U.S. actually “benefited from slavery,” an accusation the candidate’s team has denied countless times.
“I’m fighting back against false narratives,” DeSantis assured. “I do not let people like Kamala Harris or the media take false narratives and run with them. We will stand our ground, and we will speak the truth.”
Take a look at Harris openly rejecting DeSantis’ invitation to debate over slavery:
The comments that mostly triggered the controversy said “instruction includes how slaves develop skills, which in some instances could be applied for their personal benefit.”
DeSantis later explained why he considers this passage is not being interpreted with justice.
“This was done by Black history scholars, most of whom are Black themselves. They are not shilling for slavery. They are showing the injustice of slavery. But that particular passage wasn’t saying that slavery was a benefit. They were saying there was resourcefulness and people acquired skills in spite of slavery, not because of it. And then they used those when they achieved their freedom,” he shared.
