"Good idea to support a man that claims that slavery had personal benefits for the enslaved?" - Larry Nance questions Magic's political donation

Larry Nance Jr. was left scratching his head this week after a report surfaced that the Orlando Magic donated $50,000 to a controversial political candidate. The report alleges that the Magic organization donated to a Super PAC of U.S. Republican Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.

According to the U.S. Federal Election Commission website, a Super PAC (Political Action Committee) is a group that receives donations to fund political endeavors. In this case, the endeavor is to elect the Presidential candidate DeSantis.

Larry Nance took to Twitter to give his thoughts on the situation, bringing up previous comments DeSantis made that were controversial, writing:

"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?"

In addition, Larry Nance followed up the tweet with a link to an article about DeSantis' controversial claims, which we will explore in the next section.

Portland Trail Blazers v Los Angeles Lakers

Taking a look at the controversial claims of Ron DeSantis referenced by Larry Nance

According to the Washington Post article shared by Larry Nance, Ron DeSantis is currently looking to get a foothold in the U.S. Presidential race. So far, however, the outlet reports DeSantis is struggling in polls.

Amid controversial changes to how U.S. history and slavery is taught in the public schools, DeSantis fielded a question about the curriculum. His response, where he claimed some of the slaves benefitted from their situation, has continued to earn him criticism.

"They're probably going to show some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into, into doing things later in life."

Cleveland Cavaliers v Orlando Magic

(Suggested Reading: When Michael Jordan went off to spite Vincent Yabrough)

As Sports Illustrated pointed out in its coverage of the situation, Orlando Magic team governor Dan DeVos has close ties to the Republican party. According to reports, his sister-in-law served in the U.S. Government as the Secretary of Education for the previous President.

Although his personal connection certainly explains why he's donating money to the candidate, it seems as though it has earned him widespread criticism. While other NBA players have yet to come out on the attack like Larry Nance, once the Magic report to training camp, expect the donation to become a hot topic.

Between media scrums and interviews, it seems highly likely that players will address the situation in the media when the opportunity presents itself. From the look of things, however, more than 80% of NBA owners donated to the Republican party in 2020, indicating this situation extends beyond Orlando.