http://theundefeated.com/features/white-american-nba-players/ J.J. Redick will be entering his 11th season in the NBA this week and for the first time he has noticed he is part of a small — and shrinking — club as a white American NBA player. The NBA certainly has its long list of European players. But the Los Angeles Clippers starting guard says he recently noticed that there are not a lot of white Americans in the NBA anymore. As the team opens their season on Wednesday, Redick says it will be the first time in his NBA career that he will be the lone white American on his team in an African-American dominated league. “This is the first year where I’m like, ‘You know what, there are not a lot of white guys in the NBA,’ ” Redick told The Undefeated. “I was looking at the free agent list of guys still out there. I saw Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich. Those guys have all been in the league since I’ve been in the league. “I was messing with Doc Rivers about it. The best white guy is probably Kevin Love. It’s interesting. Someone who has way more time on their hands, it would be an interesting idea to kind of figure out what is happening.” Well, The Undefeated actually had the time to try to answer Redick’s question and explore why there are so few white Americans in the NBA. According to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, the NBA was 74.3 percent black during the 2015-16 season and 81.7 percent were people of color. The study said that the NBA was 18.3 percent white last season, which was 5 percent less than the season before. The league was also a record 22.3 percent international last season. That 18.3 percent of whites in the NBA from TIDES also includes non-Americans such as Europeans, Canadians and Australians of white descent. Entering the 2015-16 season, the NBA had 42 white American-born players. The NBA had its inaugural season 70 years ago with a league full of white players. As of Sunday, there were 43 white Americans on 30 NBA teams with the season starting Tuesday. Eight teams didn’t have a white American player entering last season, while seven teams don’t have one now. “There is always a distinction between the white European and the white American,” Redick said. “It’s not just a racial thing. It’s a cultural thing that is sort of different. I grew up playing for Boo Williams. I grew up battle rapping in dorm rooms and hotel rooms in AAU [Amateur Athletic Union]. For me, this is kind of normal.” Redick was one of five white American NBA players — and one former white American NBA player — who agreed to discuss what it is like to be a white American player in the league. Redick, Houston Rockets forward Ryan Anderson, Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott, Memphis Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons, Washington Wizards forward-center Jason Smith and former NBA guard Jimmer Fredette of the Shanghai Sharks took part. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love and Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward were also invited to participate and respectfully declined to talk about what is certainly a tough subject. “We play basketball because we play basketball. We don’t see color when we’re playing basketball. It’s about competing, camaraderie and having the ultimate goal of winning a championship.” — Chandler Parsons What is it like to be a white American in the NBA? Jason Smith: There are not too many of us. You have to have that ambition and work ethic to try to prove to people that you are good enough. It’s really an honor because there are only 450 of us in this NBA. To be one of those 450 is an honor to me. Doug McDermott: When they see a Dirk [Nowitzki], they’ll go, ‘Well, that’s a white player.’ But, they’re not American guys … Just from an outsider perspective, I bet a lot of NBA fans when they see a white guy, they’re always probably from Spain, or you know Germany, or France. But there’s very few of us. We’re proud of it. New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (No. 33) dunks the ball during the second half of a game with the Philadelphia 76ers in New Orleans on Feb. 19. AP PHOTO/GERALD HERBERT Ryan Anderson: You don’t really label yourself as just a white guy, you know what I mean? If you can play … Chandler Parsons: We play basketball because we play basketball. We don’t see color when we’re playing basketball. It’s about competing, camaraderie and having the ultimate goal of winning a championship. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing with a bunch of Europeans, black guys, Asian guys, Latin guys. It doesn’t matter, because you guys are all there to do one thing, and that’s playing basketball. Jimmer Fredette: I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to have been able to play basketball in the NBA. It’s an honor to be able to play the game I love for my profession and I hope I can give every white American kid out there hope that they can make it to the NBA no matter what race they are or where they are from. Who is the best white American NBA player? Anderson: Kevin Love is supertalented. I grew up playing against Kevin Love quite a bit in college and everything. But, there is no harder-working white American basketball player than J.J. Redick. Kevin Love (No. 0) of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates during a game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Oct. 31, 2014, in Chicago. NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES Parsons: Me, of course. Smith: Ryan Anderson. I played with him in New Orleans. I would have to go with him or Gordon Hayward. There are not very many of us, but there are some good ones out there. Redick: Is it Kevin Love? Who am I missing? It’s probably Kevin Love. Who’s a starter? Has anyone ever said anything to you racially on the basketball floor? Redick: I remember Rodney Stuckey, who I am fine with, we were in Detroit and he said something to me. I can’t even remember what it was, but the way he said it and the way his tone was, ‘white something,’ I lost it. I remember we both got a double technical. I can’t remember specifically what it was. It was a long time ago. We were all good. For the most part, it doesn’t come all that often. Anderson: There might be a few, like, ‘white guys can’t jump’ jokes. I’m a shooter. I’m not the most fast, athletic, running player. So, there’s a lot of just little jokes like that. But at the same time, if you can play, there is no race. There is no color in basketball and that’s the beauty of it. Parsons: Being white in the NBA, there are a lot of stereotypes. It’s almost like a joking thing among guys in the league about the stereotypes, whether it’s music or food or the way we dress. It’s just stereotypes that are kind of like an ongoing thing that goes on in the NBA … There’s stuff where people call me, ‘white boy,’ or things like that. Same thing with stereotypes. Obviously, I’m a shooter because I’m white or I’m slow and less athletic because I’m white. But not hate. When I dunk on somebody, it’ll be like, ‘Oh, Chandler Parsons is deceptively athletic.’ Why wouldn’t I just be athletic?” Click to read the rest...
Is this what they call Deja vu? I swear I read this thread last year, and perhaps the year prior too.
I guess the only difference is that there is a significant decline in numbers going on right now. Makes it harder and harder to make quota.
JK. Yeah it's a weird phenomenon, especially considering how good the Euro whites have been lately. I think all it would take is one white superstar.
Didn't we have this same thread last season? Something like "where have the white superstars gone"? Either way, interesting read.
It's an annual concern. Endangered species level of concern going on now. If there are no white American players left, would it affect viewership, and in turn massive TV contracts? ( No idea, just throwing it out there)
there's opportunity for an interesting discussion here, but most of the players avoid it. though the best portions of the piece are in the link, i'd say. i think there was an article a while back trying to tackle the question of why most of the white players in the league are foreign, and one suggestion had to do with stereotyping sort of "tracking" certain folks into some sports and not others. why are there so few black soccer players in the u.s.? same reason? the answer, in any case, seems to be less about race than it would seem on its face.
Baseball is having a problem with African Americans not playing anymore. I wonder with the NBA if it's simply a matter of not having as many white guys succeed which makes parents steer their kids away from basketball? I really don't know.
only if you think the sport might be missing opportunities to attract the best players. meaning, if some of the best players are white americans who chose to be backup quarterbacks instead of nba stars, that could be considered a problem. it's not a big one, though.
lol. First of all let me state that all lives matter. But even with the shortage of American white players, the league is as entertaining and profitable as it's ever been. In regards to football, I actually feel like basketball has more athletes to gain a few years down the line. This is anecdotal, but I feel like this generation of parents "love to watch football but won't let their kids play it", because of the health issues it raises. It will take 10-15 years to manifest but it will start there. Not to mention, unless you're one of the top 5 or 8 starting QBs in the league, you are treated like **** compared to NBA players when it comes to contracts and negotiations. I know its difficult to compare the roster sizes between the sports... but how many NFL players tweeted about picking the wrong sport when Mike Conley signed his contract this past summer? The franchises treat the players like cattle and the league is currently run by an idiot in Goodell. These are things that can be fixed, but its definitely working against them for now
