Former Cleveland Cavaliers big man Drew Gooden spoke out on social media about A.I. and how it could take jobs away from people.
In addition to that, Gooden believes that people that are currently against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives will end up fighting for them later.
A.I. will soon take over millions of jobs. Watch the people who are against DEI, fight for it later. 👀🎯 https://t.co/n5v4dxnntw
— Drew Gooden (@DrewGooden) January 27, 2025
President Donald Trump has made waves since returning to office by signing executive orders that pull back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives offices in all executive branch agencies.
Now, it appears that companies – like Target – are doing the same. Gooden seems to be cautioning the American people that things could change because of this and the emergence of A.I.
Only time will tell if the former Cavs big man is right. Gooden is currently a color analyst for the Washington Wizards – another team that he played with during his lengthy NBA career.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Gooden spent 14 seasons in the NBA. He ended his career in Washington, playing for the Wizards from the 2013-14 season through the 2015-16 campaign.
While Gooden never made an All-Star team, he was fifth in the NBA’s Rookie of the Year voting in his first season (the 2002-03 campaign).
Gooden played for the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic in his first season, and eventually came to Cleveland starting in the 2004-05 campaign. Some of Gooden’s best seasons came with the Cavs, including the 2004-05 season when he averaged a career-high 14.4 points per game across 82 contests (80 starts).
During his NBA career, Gooden played more games for the Cavs (292) than any other franchise. He averaged 11.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in Cleveland while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.
In addition to the Cavs, Wizards, Grizzlies and Magic, Gooden also spent time with the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers.
For his career, Gooden averaged 11.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He wasn’t a star player, but he certainly carved out a major role in the NBA to play for more than a decade.
