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| Magic Johnson & Larry Bird |
There was Larry Bird, AKA Larry Legend, AKA "The Great White Hope", the American bred white kid that could play better than almost anyone, regardless of race, size, or athleticism; he just knew how to play. Once you were on the court with him, you didn't even notice his race, because before you knew it he was burning you someway or another. It was him and his rival from college, Magic Johnson, lighting up the NBA. They brought the league back to life when it was at a low point, and their rivalry was something that could get the media and publics attention. They played for rival teams on opposite sides of the country; Bird with the Celtics, and Magic with the Lakers. They were also the two best players in the league and the best part about it, was that one was white and one black. Both were figures kids could look up to. Once they both retired, the face of the NBA was passed on to Michael Jordan, and then Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and after them Lebron James. There are notable white players such as Steve Nash, or Paul Gasol, that were superstars or borderline superstars, but both of them are international players; Gasol from Spain and Nash from Canada. For some reason, it seems like the days of the American bred white superstar are gone. The fact that they are gone is not the debate, the debate is why.
After Larry Bird, people have waited for the draft every year, trying to pick who will be the next white superstar player, and every year, they continue to be let down. Every few years you will find a fairly good player, that excelled in college, but when they make it to the association, they rarely get minutes, and will typically have a short shelf life. As a white player today, if you aren't a supreme jump shooter, then you probably wont last long. This is a stereotype that has potentially damaged the psyches of young basketball players. Because of the long list of underachievers and flops in the NBA, white kids feel like if they aren't an incredible 3 point shooter, there is no hope for them, and it's time to just give up the sport. This stereotype is one that may actually be a product of the most common stereotype, which is that white people are just not athletic enough to contend with everyone else.
The decline of the American bred white athlete in the NBA is a curious case. It's impossible to point to one factor, and say that is the exact reason why. Maybe a combination of social norms, compounded with racial stereotypes, or maybe it's just pure chance that the NBA stands how it is today.
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