[Tweet and video from Pablo Torre Finds Out interview](https://x.com/pablofindsout/status/1771231999472041993?s=46&t=hdMYR5VNI3D4hupTVErxeg)
> @RexChapman explains why he believes there are so many good white international NBA players, but we haven’t seen a white American player named to an All-NBA team in 10 years:
>”‘You can’t play that sport, it doesn’t suit your race.’ That’s not how [European players] are brought up. … That’s f***ed up.”
The last white American player selected to an All-NBA team was ~~David Lee in 2012-2013 (All-NBA 3rd Team)~~ Kevin Love in 2013-2014 (All-NBA 2nd Team)
by lopea182
31 Comments
Chet will break that streak soon.
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I mean this definitely is part of it to an extent
Basketball in American culture is heavily stereotyped as “the black guy sport”
It’s similar to the reason there aren’t a lot of black players in baseball these days but in reverse
Young athletes are kind of pigeonholed into certain sports subconsciously partially based on race
That’s why we see so many 7 footers playing baseball and football
Another L for tall white American men
Do white parents really dissuade their kids from playing basketball because it’s a “black” sport?
This doesn’t seem bait-y at aaaaaall
White kids are always told they got to become the shooters on the team because they can’t compete athletically. Makes sense.
[Gillis already called it](https://m.youtube.com/shorts/w6bHdhDiY9s)
But there are not “so many” good white international NBA players. There are very few.
In the past 10 seasons, 6 white international players were selected, and 1 white American. Not 0.
International: Jokic, Doncic, Sabonis, M. Gasol, P. Gasol, Dragic
American: Kevin Love, he made 2nd team in 2013-14
I would say that it’s more luck. Very few NBA superstars exist at any given time. Right now some of them are white Europeans and none of them are white Americans. I don’t think there needs to be any underlying cause.
Things just happen like that sometimes. There are 3 years right in the middle of the sample where every single player was black. 2015-16 through 2017-18. There was no talk of so many white internationals then. Now some happen to be here again.
Edit: added M. Gasol
Cooper Flagg and Chet Holmgren are gonna bring the whites back.
I mean…there literally hasn’t been anyone since Larry Bird that has reached that level of superstar status. There’s been a handful of all stars, but no one that led their team deep in the playoffs, as THE guy, MVP runs, etc.
Kevin love is probably the closest we’ve seen since, but even then, he was never seen as a bona-fide superstar nor had any deep runs as the #1 option.
Kevin Love made All-NBA less than 10 years ago
Fun fact: Rex Chapman once scored 39 points on 12/17 shooting on Michael Jordan while trash talking him, and giving the ’96 Bulls one of their 10 losses.
I’m sorry I’m not buying this at all. I’m watching the tournament right now and I’m seeing a ton of white guys playing.
To make it to the NBA you have to be super skilled or super athletic. In America these AAU teams aren’t teaching skill and fundamentals to players like they do over in Europe, so they only guys who make it big time are the super athletic players, which are usually the black players.
Europe has a lot of white guys who aren’t as athletic making it to the league because they were taught at a grassroots level the fundamentals to basketball.
dw chet will save y’all
Sabonis was born and raised in the United States. He doesn’t count?
Why is it that when a player has a 1 black and 1 white parent they are considered fully black and not white? Because guys like Klay and Booker have a white parent but they’re not considered white just black????
“There’s a reason that every good NBA player that’s white is from another country. The audacity to think you play in that league! The fucking arrogance!”
This is why representation is important in all facets of life. Feel like the white hoopers just said fuck it we’re gonna put on 50 lbs and be tight ends
The Shane Gillis bit about this is hilarious. There were two kids on my jr high team who could dunk and I quickly realized I wasn’t going to keep up.
I mean asians have been dealing with this for decades lol
Steve Nash was North American and won a couple of MVPs, does that count?
As a white baller I can’t tell you how many times I stepped on a court and people thought I couldn’t play, jump, run etc.
They were all correct but that shit still hurt.
Sabonis is a white American who made an All-NBA team
Lots of mixed race dudes have made it right? So what does it matter
Racism.
White guys, probably shit at basketball. Not good at track and field.
Black guys, probably shit quarterbacks. Not good at baseball. Not great at swimming.
It’s all BS really. Everyone should get a fair go at the start and then you move up as per your talent.
The funny thing is womens basketball don’t have that problem. There’s a lot more star white players as compared to the NBA. Look at Sue Bird, Diana Taurasai, Elena Della Donne, Brianna Stewart, Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, and now Caitlin Clark.
Now do Asians.
Every time I step on a court with good players, the opposing team ALWAYS goes at me first. Little do they know that I love playing defense and is 100% my best skill in ball lol.
It feels both good and bad when you get their respect and they start calling me Yao or Lin. (True ballers would know my playstyle is more Yi Jianlian lol)
Side note but I think it’s funny how mixed guys count as black. If they counted half for each race white men would be well represented. But for some reason 50% black means not white. Strange
Anerican kids are not taught fundamentals anymore, there are no more Bobby Knights. It’s all about athleticism and shooting from mid court. It’s no secret why even the US national team can barely hang on against European national teams with significantly worse individual players but collectively play so much better.