The White Guy Bias in the NBA

 

Former Penn State standout and NBA player, Joe Crispin recently finished up a series of posts on "The White Guy Bias in the NBA".  As a big basketball fan, I found it to be quite interesting.  Here are his posts:

1)  Everyone agrees that there is a white-guy bias in basketball. It is a running joke and oftentimes, true.

2)  Our biases are much more powerful than we realize. Part 1 and Part 2.

3)  The evaluation of International talent is not as cut-and-dry as it might sound. International players may even have an inevitable advantage in their ability to reach largely untouched markets for the NBA.  A sound business strategy no doubt.

4)  Athleticism is sometimes an over-valued trait in the NBA.  The best teams are the most diverse (though usually they have players who are both great athletes and highly skilled).

5)  The NBA is a business, so we must understand the decisions of those in the business by looking at their incentives. 

Here is his conclusion:

So what have I learned from all of this?  Well, I don’t think I have learned anything new, but I have been reminded of something I have known for quite some time.

It is this:  who ends up playing or not playing in the NBA, white or black, American or International, is a very complicated matter and one that no one, except the Lord, can fully comprehend. There are just no easy answers when it comes to this question of who makes it and who doesn’t.  There are social factors, business factors, talent and team factors, all sorts of factors at work.

I have known and heard of countless players who have NBA talent, but who have ended up on the streets.  I have also played against many a player who has never made the NBA, who might even have gotten cut from summer league, but who is fully capable of performing there.  I have even been that one guy (and would certainly like to be him again!) who has played in the NBA and has no doubt had other players at home saying about him, ‘I could outplay him right now!’  And you know, they may have been right.  But all the various things lined up for me to play in the NBA.  And so it is, or is not, for many others.

The reality is that in the basketball world that are players that are truly head and shoulders above the rest.  You know who they are.  Most times, they just cannot help but rise above the rest.  They are so good that their talent paves the way for their own ideal playing situations.  Then there are the second-tier individuals who are very, very good, obviously good, but just not as great as the best.  They usually make it and if things line up perfectly for them, they can become top-tier stars.

In another group, the final and fullest group, there are players from all over the world who are fully capable of playing in the NBA, sometimes at a very high level, but who just need the perfect opportunity to make it happen.  The right team, the right timing, the role, etc.  And the reality is, they have very little to do with whether or not they ever get that opportunity. Numerous things have to line up in order for their dream to be realized.  And to be maintained.

I count myself among that group.  And I count it a tremendous blessing from God to have had the opportunity to play in the NBA.  As I have mentioned, I would certainly enjoy playing there again, but I realize that the fact that I have played there doesn’t mean that I am better than everyone else who has not.  That’s just not true.  As is the case in any business, who makes it and who doesn’t is not defined solely on the basis of talent.  Numerous other factors are at work.  We have taken a look at a few of those factors, but though this series has lasted a month, you can be sure that we have only scratched the surface.

In the end, I still believe the NBA is the best basketball in the world.  But I also believe it can still be better.  I doubt any NBA executives will be knocking down my door for advice because of these posts, but at the very least, I hope they serve any who read them by giving insight into how they view and understand the NBA game and most importantly, life itself.