Larry Bird calls the NBA "A Black Man's Game"

[SaltwaterChaffy]

KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. -- Larry Bird got visibly embarrassed when the other guys talked about his greatness, then made the stunning disclosure that nothing in basketball offended him more than being guarded by another white guy.

LeBron James started out shy, referring to Larry Legend as Mr. Bird, before gradually speaking with as much conviction as the vets, eventually referring to him simply as Bird.

Magic Johnson predictably did more talking than the three guys to his left, when he wasn't smiling that smile, and Magic even did some of the asking, because he can't stop himself from running everything, even in an interview setting.

Carmelo Anthony, meanwhile, was probably the quietest guy in the foursome, but 'Melo still managed to make a rather memorable promise when he conceded that he and LeBron "don't have stories like these two have stories yet ... but we're gonna get there one day."

Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James talk with Jim Gray during 2-on-2 taping. The show airs on ESPN Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.

'Bron and 'Melo have great stories to tell now, actually, and you'll have the opportunity to see why Thursday night before Game 3 of the NBA Finals. That's when ESPN airs an unprecedented summit called "Two on Two," which brought James and Anthony together with the storied rivals who preceded them by 25 years.

Throughout their shared rookie season, these kids were billed as a modern-day Magic and Bird, ready or not. ESPN's Jim Gray managed to get them all together for the first time, in the jump circle of the famed Hoosier Gym that served as Hickory High's home court in "Hoosiers." What ensued was a wide-ranging discussion, and an experience for 'Bron and 'Melo -- all four, really -- to pass on to their kids.

And a quote for everyone to remember.

"The one thing that always bothered me when I played in the NBA," Bird said, "was I really got irritated when they put a white guy on me. I still don't understand why."

The Scene
On the eve of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the four guests were summoned to this historic spot in the basketball heartland, some 30 miles outside Indianapolis. The setting alone got them juiced.

Bird is accustomed to bleacher-lined gyms like this, having grown up in the heartland, but everyone in the tiny building (capacity: 650) seemed excited to be on Gene Hackman's hardwood. Magic spoke of breaking into similarly tiny gyms in his youth.

"We used to just jimmy that lock and just come on in ... or break the little glass and use a hanger and hit that latch," he said.

Anthony spotted a side basket hanging by wire from the ceiling, and couldn't stop looking at it.

"When I walked in this gym, and I looked at that ball rack, I wanted to shoot one in that hoop," he said. "But I was afraid it might fall."

James beat Anthony to Knightstown by almost an hour, thanks to 'Melo's travel delays from Denver, and right away he spotted up in the corner. Not to mimic Jimmy Chitwood, though. LBJ was pretending to be Bird, showing two traveling pals how well he could copy Bird's behind-the-head release. Like a wannabe musician playing air guitar, James was lofting imaginary jumpers.

The Interaction
James and Anthony, not surprisingly, knew Magic well before the sitdown. LeBron jumped on him immediately, jokingly calling him "Jeff Gordon" in reference to Magic's increasing business presence on the NASCAR circuit. James and Anthony, of course, had no hesitation needling each other -- LeBron predicted his buddy's tardy arrival, saying, "He's always late, running in with his braids flopping."

The surprise? Neither James nor Anthony had spent much time in Bird's presence until now. Combine that with Bird's reluctance in recent years to discuss his playing days on TV, and you can understand why Magic was even more excited than normal for the opportunity.

For James, it was his very first introduction to Mr. Bird. The Pacers' president tried to keep things light, though. After their handshake, Bird quipped: "Don't worry. I've seen him play a few times." Later he asked James, struggling to keep a straight face: "So, what do you think of this NBA stuff?"

Anthony's only previous encounter with Bird came the previous July, at summer league. So he knew what to expect. At a magazine shoot later in the day, perhaps identifying with Bird's understated manner, Anthony knew that it required some arm-twisting to convene all four of them for a chat.

"Bird's bashful," Melo said.

The Revelation
Gray opened proceedings by telling the invitees why they were summoned to such a remote location.

"We're here because you guys are all linked," Gray said. "You're linked together. When you say Magic, people think of Bird. When you say Carmelo, what comes in someone's head? It's LeBron."

As a group, they went on to discuss the genesis and current state of their rivalries, the pressures of leadership and the importance of stamping a career with an NBA championship. Magic also gave LeBron a lecture, on and off camera, about taking an active role in USA Basketball's attempt to assemble a roster for the Athens Olympics.

"I know you're young, but I want you to do this," Magic said. "Pick up the phone, call the guys that you want to play with. Call them up personally. That's what I did. I made (Bird) play. ... Michael Jordan wasn't gonna play, (so) I was calling him, bugging him. ... If you want Shaq, pick up the phone and call him and put pressure on him."

Yet the undisputed highlight came when Bird -- after Magic scolded Larry for inferring that "he's not in that same breath as Michael and myself" -- introduced race into the conversation.

Earlier, Bird crossed into some sensitive territory when he said the league needed more white superstars.

"I think it's good for a fan base, because, as we all know, the majority of the fans are white America," Bird said. "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 was just warming up.

"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 your 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."

"Disrespect," Magic said.

Said Bird: "Yeah, disrespect."

The Conclusion
Big surprise: It was the point guard who insisted that the four of them belonged together, in spite of the protests heard during the season that the rookies were being rushed into the same sentence.

It was Magic who pointed out how LeBron and 'Melo even have their own Outgoing vs. Soft-Spoken dynamic.

"It's funny because, I'm just sitting here, and we've spent time together, but not this much time," Magic said. "If you look at all four of us, personality-wise, we're close (Magic and LeBron) and they're close (Bird and Anthony). It's really funny. They're quiet, and we like to talk. So I'm sitting here saying (that) we mirror each other. So I see now why you sat us all down together, because we are definitely like each other in so many different ways."

You can judge for yourself Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.

[FilthyFinMavs]

I don't disagree with what Bird said. I think the league needs more stars in general rather than them being just white but I agree. The league was at it's high when Bird was one of the best players in it. Now you don't have that. I don't know about saying that the NBA is a black man's game however. You definately have to rank Dirk and Peja up there with the Garnetts and Kobes of the league.

[sturm und drang]

I've never been a huge Bird fan - is that blasphemy? - but I, for one, am impressed that someone had the cojones to discuss race openly and honestly.

And I agree with him. Whether we like it or not, whether it says something damning or embarrassing about society or not, the NBA does need more white stars to appeal to the white masses.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: sturm und drang
I've never been a huge Bird fan - is that blasphemy? - but I, for one, am impressed that someone had the cojones to discuss race openly and honestly.

And I agree with him. Whether we like it or not, whether it says something damning or embarrassing about society or not, the NBA does need more white stars to appeal to the white masses.

I love it when people come out and say what's on their mind rather than hold it in and it's so hard to do this without the media jumping on you. I must say though when reading this you'd think that the mood of Bird was a bit frustrated but I heard the audio today and it was more humorous than anything.

[Drbio]

That is blasphemy. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]


I think it speaks volumes that Magic and Bird were on the same page in the discussion. I love that the new stars Melo and Lebron are reaching out to the old guard. That shows respect.


Someone put a mark in their calendar because I basically agree with FFM in this thread. I think it must have something to do with Venus crossing the sun or somesuch. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

[MavKikiNYC]

I remember that time when Kelly Tripucka shut Bird down.

[NBAFan7]

Dirk and Peja with KG and Kobe? LOL that's too funny

[twelli]

Does Yao Ming qualify as a white boy? How about Najera, Ginobili, and Rick Fox? Do we need more of these?

Do the fans really care about the player's skin color? As long as they play great basketball, I don't care a bit.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: sturm und drang
I've never been a huge Bird fan - is that blasphemy? - but I, for one, am impressed that someone had the cojones to discuss race openly and honestly.

And I agree with him. Whether we like it or not, whether it says something damning or embarrassing about society or not, the NBA does need more white stars to appeal to the white masses.

Don't worry Sturm. Bird is one of my least favorite 'athletes' in the history of ever. I believe he's right for the most part as well. Sometimes the truth isn't pretty

[SaltwaterChaffy]

Originally posted by: Murphy3

Don't worry Sturm. Bird is one of my least favorite 'athletes' in the history of ever. I believe he's right for the most part as well. Sometimes the truth isn't pretty

This is exactly right. Everyone makes comments that might be considered "un-PC" but are ultimately true. Usually these comments are made in the private surroundings of friends or family. It's a breath of fresh air that someone makes a comment that is true in such a public forum. A big deal is being made in the media over it, but unlike the KG war comments or Bill Parcells slur, Bird isn't being roundly lambasted, which I think is a good thing.

Listening to Mike and Mike in the morning, they seemed supportive of Bird. They played a comment from Michael Wilbon, who said that Bird isn't the type of man to shoot from the hip without thinking, and that he obviously knew what saying this would cause.

Another thing that might be overlooked by some is that Bird was responding to a direct question. Jim Gray asked him whether or not the NBA needed more white superstars. He answered this question so directly that people were surprised. Mike Greenberg theorized that the ensuing "white guys guarding Bird" comments were used as humor to defuse a tense situation. I think this is exactly right, and I have no problem with what Bird said. I hope that he makes it out of this with an unscathed image, and I'm really looking forward to watching the interview tonight. (what a great concept!)

The cynic in me might think that ESPN leaked this information early in order to build up interest in the interview tonight. I'll be really interested in seeing the ratings.

[dalmations202]

Originally posted by: Murphy3

Don't worry Sturm. Bird is one of my least favorite 'athletes' in the history of ever. I believe he's right for the most part as well. Sometimes the truth isn't pretty

Question?

If Bird's quote would have been "Basketball is a black man's game, Hockey/Golf is a white man's game, and Soccer/Baseball is a Hispanic man's game" what would the masses/media be saying at this point???

[SaltwaterChaffy]

That's a good question. I don't know how that would be perceived by the masses. But, a fact here is that Bird is clearly and obviously an expert regarding the NBA and the game of basketball. As an expert, he is able to offer his opinion, and have that opinion be respected.

Spouting off about other sports that he does not have the same expertise or field of knowledge might make it a different story.

[Hitman]

Fact: Larry Bird has called the NBA "a black man's game" many times before. In fact, he did so in his autobiography.

Fact: Hockey and Nascar could use a few more blacks to attract black fans.

Fact: Shaquille O'Neal said it is really embaressing to get dunked on by a white guy.

[bcrav4]

So was Bird saying, that he could tear up any white guy they sent to guard him?? And that he wanted a better (black) defender to guard him??

Is that what he meant?

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: bcrav4
So was Bird saying, that he could tear up any white guy they sent to guard him?? And that he wanted a better (black) defender to guard him??

Is that what he meant?

That's what I got out of it.

[Dirkenstien]

For the most part I agree with what Bird said however, when it all comes down to it I dont believe "white america" cares whether stars are black or white. If the basketball is good, then its good no matter what the person looks like thats playing it.

Also, I like how the young guys (LeBron and Melo) handled these questions... I dont think racial tension is as much of a concern as it was back in Magic and Bird's day thus it didnt seem to be a very big deal to Lebron or Carmelo. Talent is talent...whether its from Air Bud, Dirk Nowitzke, Kobe Bryant, or Skipper the basketball playing Dolphin.

[birdsanctuary]

I dont see this as a race issue versus a cultural one or a self fulfilling prophesy based on stereotypes. The fact is that Basketball is seen as an African American sport. I don't think the majority of african americans go out and sign their kids up for soccer or tennis. Caucasian culture pretty much puts their kids in T-ball, soccer, etc. Breaking it down further it's probably a socio-economic issue. Basketball is a very low cost sport.

Given all of this, I do believe in 10 years we are going to see a 50/50 split in basketball with the percentage of african americans dropping significantly. This is due to the influx of Euros and the international game. Kids in other countries are not restricted by amateur rules that limit their ability to work with top caliber coaches. Teams can now take a chance on a high school kid or take a 18 year old Euro who has been working with a quality coach since they were 15. I'm looking at players like Ginobli, and Parker, and thinking why would anyone want to draft a HS kid anymore.

Again this is a socio-economic issue or cultural issue rather than a race issue. Why does everything have to be a race issue?

[birdsanctuary]

[Murphy3]

I think some of Bird's statements were borderline ignorant, but I don't really see anything that could be considered racist.

[EricaLubarsky]

It's Bird. He was WAY better than Barkley and can get away with a lot more.

[FreshJive]

I think Bird was for the most part being humorous. I'm pretty sure Kirilenko could get a stop or two on Bird. The only reason Bird's comments make me groan is that I already get enough shit from both white and black people over being such an avid (and white) NBA fan and at the same time only being a casual fan of other sports.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: EricaLubarsky
It's Bird. He was WAY better than Barkley and can get away with a lot more.

I definitely wouldn't go that far at all. Mix in a stat. Yes, Bird won titles, but Barkley was sorrounded by mediocre players most of his career.

[Hitman]

Bird was much better than Barkley.

Yes, much better. Barkley was a great player. Bird is a legend. Bird is one of the greatest athletes of the century, Barkley is one of the great players of his decade. Barkley played on some talented teams - he played with Dr. J, Moses, Kevin Johson, Dan Majerle, Andrew Toney, Hakeem, Drexler, etc. and was never able to get it done. Barkley won one MVP, Bird won 3 - and was probably jipped in 87 in my opinion. Bird was all nba first team his FIRST 9 YEARS in the league.

Yes, Bird was much better than Barkley. About his comments....were they ignorant? I don't think so...I think it was pretty much common sense. Magic seems to agree...

More Magic
Johnson also repeated his agreement with Larry Bird's declaration that the NBA needs more white stars. Bird made the comments during a group interview that also featured Magic, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

"He was saying we need more great white players, and he was right," Johnson said. "That would put even more light on the league, because more people would tune in."

Johnson sees racial undercurrents in many of the sport's greatest moments, including Michigan State's victory over Bird and Indiana State for the 1979 NCAA title, widely considered one of basketball's greatest games.

"Why is the '79 national championship still the highest-rated game in basketball history?" Johnson asked. "That's not a coincidence. It's because you had Magic -- black -- and Bird -- white. C'mon, we all understand that."

[LRB]

Funny in Bird's early years he was often guarded by the sixers Bobby Jones who was often regarded as one of the leagues top defenders at the time and was by chance white. Maybe he forgets that part.