| | COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The Confederate flag controversy is
costing South Carolina the New York Knicks.
The NBA team on Tuesday said it will not hold its playoff
training camp in Charleston this year because of the controversy.
"Based on recent discussions between management and players,
the Knicks have decided not to return to Charleston, S.C.," said
Steve Mills, Knicks executive vice president for franchise
operations.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
is leading a tourism boycott of South Carolina until the
Confederate flag is removed from the Statehouse dome. South
Carolina is the only state to fly the flag, which has been atop the
Statehouse since 1962.
Opponents say the flag represents racism and slavery, while
supporters say it honors those who died in the Civil War.
Tuesday's decision came after a meeting between players and
management.
"If we have another choice, let's get out of there," forward Larry Johnson told the New York Times. "If you've got a state that
wants to fly that flag knowing what it means to people, and me
being black, I don't need to be in that state."
The change affects this year's spring camp, and Mills said the
Knicks will "continue to monitor and evaluate the situation."
The Knicks agreed in October to a four-year contract extension
of holding its camp at the College of Charleston through the
2002-03 season. The financial toll of not going to Charleston this
year would not hurt the Knicks as much as trying to find similar
accommodations elsewhere, the Times reported Monday.
"Hopefully, this matter can reach a positive conclusion,"
College of Charleston athletic director Jerry Baker said. "The New
York Knicks are a great partner for us and we will continue to work
with them in any manner we can."
New York began training in Charleston with coach Pat Riley in
1991. The only year the Knicks missed was the lockout-shortened
season in 1998.
The NAACP said earlier this year that it would target major
sporting events in the state to step up pressure on the
Legislature, which has sole power to remove the flag.
Attempts to move the Southern Conference men's and women's
basketball tournaments set for next month at Greenville's Bi-Lo
Center came up short when the conference said it was too late to
find a new location.
| |
 |
