magic, larry, and michael

"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."

-Larry Bird

First of all, I am a white guy and I'm somewhat miffed at being compared to 'cannon fodder' by Larry the Legend. His comments are probably true. He knows the game first from the perspective of 'The Great White Hope;' second, as an NBA executive Bird makes decisions on hiring and firing (ask Isaiah Thomas) and player personnel, that determines who comes into the league and who goes. He has a broader perspective than he did as an NBA player. His comments reflect an honest assessment of what's out there (mainly black athletes, many from high school)and what's not (white athletes); however, he shouldn't be looking for 'white guys' to fill his former role, he should be looking for the best possible players regardless of race. In no other business would his comments be considered acceptable.

Probably the most offensive part of the interview taking place in the same gym as the filming of 'Hoosiers-' comes when he says that the white corporate audience won't watch the black athletes play. We need to look at these comments closely if we are to measure what he's saying as racist, plain arrogant, or true. I don't think he's racist. It's obvious that Bird respects the black athlete. Interestingly though, he doesn't respect the white athlete. His comments may be true in the absence of great white players (exception: players from Europe, but he comes across as arrogant when he claims that 'white corporate America' wants to support another 'Great White Hope,' just as it supported him during his career. He's saying what many executives would never say, and what only Larry Bird could say-we need white superstars if we are going to stay interested, and he says this in the presence of Magic Johnson along with Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, two black athletes who draw the most comparisons to Larry and Magic of this generation.

Bird's comments might rankle some, but I also think that Magic's knee-slapping laughter comes across as insincere. After Bird makes his statement, you get the sense that Magic makes his remarks about "comments made in barber shops" to both appease what Larry is saying and to project his Afro-American friendly image to his target audience. This also works for Magic in the eyes of the white audience, because he's able to soften things for us while maintaining ties to his black community. Whereas Larry feeds from the corporate trough of 'white corporate America,' Magic at least pretends to come from more home-style roots. But, I'd say that Magic has at least come as far within the same system by agreeing with Larry Legend and his ilk as Larry has gone by being lock-step with it.

Makes me yearn for Michael Jordan, who at least wouldn't pretend that he's critical of the system (ala Bird), or that he's somehow apart from the system (yes, Magic), but instead projects the image of his magnificent bust upon the face of corporate America. While Magic and Bird were perfect opposites, quiet and loud, slow and fast, Michael never really had an opposite, someone who could challenge him. His success (6 NBA titles) gave him complete dominance, and doesn't need to make any apologies- by being himself, we forget about race, and remember him for his greatness. Carmelo and LeBron, again two opposites, how will we remember them?