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Bird ruffles feathers with ‘black man's game’ comments
By Boston.com Staff | June 9, 2004
Celtics legend Larry Bird ruffled feathers around the sports world recently when he called the NBA a “black man’s game” on an ESPN special that’s yet to air.
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Bird said that he would like to see more white stars in the game, but the Indiana Pacers’ president of basketball operations also indicated that he was frustrated when another team would put another white player against him on defense back in his playing days.
Bird made these comments during an ESPN special called “Two on Two” that will air Thursday at 7 p.m. ET featuring Bird's longtime rival, Magic Johnson, and rookies LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
During the taping of the special, host Jim Gray asked Bird whether today’s NBA has enough white superstars. "Well, I think so," said Bird, "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."
Magic Johnson, a Lakers part owner, added: "We need some more LBs -- Larry Birds. ... 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 the respect."
"The one thing that always bothered me when I played in the NBA was I really got irritated when they put a white guy on me," Bird said. "I still don't understand why. A white guy would come out (and) I would always ask him: 'What, do you have a problem with your coach? Did you coach do this to you?' And he'd go, 'No,' and I'd say, 'Come on, you got a white guy coming out here to guard me; you got no chance.' ... For some reason, that always bothered me when I was playing against a white guy.
"As far as playing, I didn't care who guarded me -- red, yellow, black," Bird added. "I just didn't want a white guy guarding me. Because it's disrespect to my game."
Magic added: "His game, you see, Larry Bird was the only (white) guy that was mentioned in the barbershop. ...'Cause that's where all the talking in our community is, the barbershop or on the playground."
A Pacers spokesman told ESPN that Bird will not comment further on the interview. NBA commissioner David Stern said he’ll wait to comment until after the interview is aired.
By Boston.com Staff | June 9, 2004
Celtics legend Larry Bird ruffled feathers around the sports world recently when he called the NBA a “black man’s game” on an ESPN special that’s yet to air.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bird said that he would like to see more white stars in the game, but the Indiana Pacers’ president of basketball operations also indicated that he was frustrated when another team would put another white player against him on defense back in his playing days.
Bird made these comments during an ESPN special called “Two on Two” that will air Thursday at 7 p.m. ET featuring Bird's longtime rival, Magic Johnson, and rookies LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
During the taping of the special, host Jim Gray asked Bird whether today’s NBA has enough white superstars. "Well, I think so," said Bird, "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."
Magic Johnson, a Lakers part owner, added: "We need some more LBs -- Larry Birds. ... 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 the respect."
"The one thing that always bothered me when I played in the NBA was I really got irritated when they put a white guy on me," Bird said. "I still don't understand why. A white guy would come out (and) I would always ask him: 'What, do you have a problem with your coach? Did you coach do this to you?' And he'd go, 'No,' and I'd say, 'Come on, you got a white guy coming out here to guard me; you got no chance.' ... For some reason, that always bothered me when I was playing against a white guy.
"As far as playing, I didn't care who guarded me -- red, yellow, black," Bird added. "I just didn't want a white guy guarding me. Because it's disrespect to my game."
Magic added: "His game, you see, Larry Bird was the only (white) guy that was mentioned in the barbershop. ...'Cause that's where all the talking in our community is, the barbershop or on the playground."
A Pacers spokesman told ESPN that Bird will not comment further on the interview. NBA commissioner David Stern said he’ll wait to comment until after the interview is aired.
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