Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox has apologized for making a joke a fan believed was racially insensitive.

Wilcox insisted he was only trying to make fun of himself and his family.

Wilcox, who is white, made a reference to his mixed-race marriage and family while speaking to season-ticket holders in December.

Wilcox issued a statement, obtained Friday by The Associated Press, after the fan, Clarenton Crawford, was upset by the joke.

"At an early December chalk talk, I made a self-deprecating comment at my own expense regarding my family, which is multi-racial," Wilcox said in the statement. "This joke offended Mr. Crawford and his wife and for that, I apologize."

The Hawks have not issued a statement regarding the matter.

Former Hawks GM Danny Ferry resigned on June 22, 2015, after repeating racially charged statements from a scouting report about then-free agent Luol Deng.

Keep Reading

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be considered fee-free days at U.S. National Parks. While the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta doesn't charge admission, the new schedule will affect such metro Atlanta sites as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez