AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Reuters) - Hall of Famer Larry Bird says the NBA needs more white stars if it is to continue to appeal to its fan base.
In an interview with ESPN to be aired Thursday ahead of the Game Three of the NBA finals, the former Boston Celtic, widely considered one of the greatest players ever to hit the hardwood, was asked if the league lacked white superstars.
"Well, I think so," Bird said. "You know when I played you had me and Kevin (McHale) and some others throughout the league.
"I think it's good for a fan base because, as we all know, the majority of the fans are white America. And if you just had a couple of white guys in there, you might get them a little excited.
"But it is a black man's game and it will be forever. I mean the greatest athletes in the world are African-American."
Bird, now the Indiana Pacers (news) president of basketball operations, made the comments during a round-table discussion that included Magic Johnson and NBA rookies LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
Former Los Angeles Lakers (news) great Johnson said: "We need some more Larry Birds. I mean, you know, you want that. Larry Bird, you see, can go into any neighborhood.
"When you say 'Larry Bird', black people know who he is, Hispanics, whites, and they give him respect."
While Bird had the respect of basketball fans, the former-Celtic felt he was not always respected by opposing coaches when they sent out white players to guard him.
"I didn't care who guarded me -- red, yellow, black. I just didn't want a white guy guarding me because it's disrespect to my game," said Bird in a portion of the interview played on ESPN.
While the NBA has a breakdown of players by nationality, the league said it does not breakdown players according to race.
A report in the Chicago Tribune, however, said that of the 408 players in the NBA last season, 76.5 were black.
Why does race matter though? If someone is deserving to be in the NBA then so be it. Race shouldn't be a factor into who should play professional ball.
race comes into play because the NBA is a business. there are alot of things that come into play that wouldn't be relevant if it were just basketball.
exactly... a lot of owners are just in it for the $$$ they want the top players... and the top players are African American and white European... you got some cities and markets who are passionate and knowledgable about sports... like Boston, New York, Detroit... and the money maker markets like Los Angeles and Orlando... this isn't back in the 80s where players played for the love of the game, and to give fans a good time... when the green comes into play, race becomes more of a factor...
I'm the one known as Doc Justice and i hearby cosign this statement :arrow:
Why does race matter though? If someone is deserving to be in the NBA then so be it. Race shouldn't be a factor into who should play professional ball.
race comes into play because the NBA is a business. there are alot of things that come into play that wouldn't be relevant if it were just basketball.
I object!! This statement insuates that other organizations such as the MLB, MLS, NFL and NHL are not also businesses. I mean c'mon why put a double standard for basketball?
Why does race matter though? If someone is deserving to be in the NBA then so be it. Race shouldn't be a factor into who should play professional ball.
race comes into play because the NBA is a business. there are alot of things that come into play that wouldn't be relevant if it were just basketball.
I object!! This statement insuates that other organizations such as the MLB, MLS, NFL and NHL are not also businesses. I mean c'mon why put a double standard for basketball?
They are all businesses ran in different ways. The NBA emphasis is on young Black stars that they can market.When is the last time a white dude won the MVP? When is the last time a white dude was the 1st pick in the draft that wasn't a foreigner? What White American is The go-to guy on his team? Numbers don't lie
The owners in the NBA are trying to fill the seats. That's why Allen Iverson hasn't been shipped out of philly yet because he fills the seats and brings media attention. They don't want to let that go.
The NFL is ran by whites but notice most of the Pro-bowl skill players are African American.
Everything is a business
Why does race matter though? If someone is deserving to be in the NBA then so be it. Race shouldn't be a factor into who should play professional ball.
race comes into play because the NBA is a business. there are alot of things that come into play that wouldn't be relevant if it were just basketball.
True, NBA is a business. But race shouldn't be a business tatic just like someone's disability shouldn't be a factor when applying for a job for someone's business. It just ain't ethical.
Why does race matter though? If someone is deserving to be in the NBA then so be it. Race shouldn't be a factor into who should play professional ball.
race comes into play because the NBA is a business. there are alot of things that come into play that wouldn't be relevant if it were just basketball.
True, NBA is a business. But race shouldn't be a business tatic just like someone's disability shouldn't be a factor when applying for a job for someone's business. It just ain't ethical.
it's not ethical, but that's exactly how it is... it appears to be unethical, but nobody in White America is steppin up.... it's a shame, but reality bites... :?
Larry just sayin what we all know. The Black Race is the master Race, the original race therefore we have the better athletes.Of course he wants more white players. He's a racist and a hick look how he did Isiah. Take any sport and u'll see like in America the black race built it and made it famous. I'm not mad at Larry for wanting more white guys. He's supposed to say that.
hey i think Larry is prolly one of the best white boys to play the game...the other two are Pete Maravich and Jerry West...white boys tend to get "shy" when it comes to playing ball now...b/c all the black kids are playing...and they are "scared"
Like Isian thomas said..... if Larry bird was black would he get so much play ( same situation with eminem) People also forget that larry bird also said that he would be INSULTED to be defended by a white player... which shows how he also respects blk mens game.
I personally thing that the NBA is very concerned that white americans are no longer a visible force in the NBA... so much that david stern is always tryna set age limits. Why does he wanna set age limits b/c to many uneducated black are coming into the league from HS. Now if u make an age limit most of the kids coming in to the leauge will be white boys who have strong educational backgrounds who are in college. Maybe the rare black boy from a middle class neaighbourhood will make it to collge, but in the end the conspiracy to allow older bballl players into the league... will always be shown as david stern wanted bball players to be more matrue within the sport.
