Usually, there is a lot of chatter on Gil’s Arena, but this time, when Kenyon Martin spoke, everyone else was silent. Because the issue was personal, a person from his inner circle mocked his speech impediment. The 15-year NBA veteran gave a teaching moment on the Gilbert Arenas podcast and then explained on Instagram why it was important.

Martin has suffered from stuttering right from his childhood days in Dallas, when he also had to deal with bullying and avoided speaking in school. So, dealing with ‘name-calling’ was not the real issue. The main problem was that the disrespect came from someone close to him, a person who had been to his home multiple times. The person of interest here is Suge, a member of the production crew.

“It was about me addressing the situation, y’all, but it wasn’t about me,” said Martin. “It was for the other people that stutter, that’s been teased and bullied and, like I said, missed out on opportunities because of it. This was about them and letting them know you don’t have to put up with it. You don’t. It’s a special thing that we have. It’s not going anywhere.”

K-Mart also stated that he was on the board of the National Association for Stuttering, and they are constantly working to find more effective ways of therapy through speech. “But I am here for you guys. Deada–. I am here to speak up for you because I once was someone who didn’t have a speaking platform to let people know about this and to speak up for yourself. This is for you guys, man.”

On Tuesday’s Gil’s Arena, Kenyon Martin replayed the video of the staffer apparently making fun of him and his stuttering. He emphasized that speech impediment is a deeply personal issue for him. The statements and comments affected the 6’9″ forward from Michigan. He called out Suge and labeled him “disloyal.”

“This is what disloyalty and people who don’t respect you look like,” said Martin in Gil’s Arena. “People like him. Be careful who you invite into your home. Who you have around your loved ones, your friends, and family. This is what you get. People like this. That talk about something that is near and dear to my heart.”

Even during the live episode and on his Instagram, K-Mart made sure that he wanted no apology despite the staffer pleading multiple times.

Kenyon Martin did not accept the apology

When the former NBA veteran replayed the video, Suge, the person responsible for making these comments, recalled apologizing for this situation. But at the time, Martin had no context and did not expect the person close to him to say something this insensitive. In fact, K-Mart never watched the video until two weeks ago.

Someone else sent him the video, which is why Martin was done with Suge, and the last thing he wants is an apology. “I drew a line in the sand a long time ago with this. There is no apology ever as an adult that I would accept for this. I came in here one day over at Gil’s house, and you walked up to me and tried to apologize out of the blue. I blew you off because I didn’t know what you were talking about,” he added.

Since Kenyon Martin didn’t expect somebody close to him to mock him, the pain and disappointment were more. But once it was brought to his attention, the former number 1 pick decided to stand up for what’s right. Even if it meant breaking the bond with a close associate.