Racism in the NBA

1281 Words3 Pages

Racism is a belief that a particular race is superior and better that other minor or specific races. It is a very aggressive behavior towards members of another race that can cause an enormous amount of hate and separation between society members. It is very bitter to realize that even though we are living in the twenty first century and yet racism still exists in our lives. It’s even worse when we realize that it exists in places such as sports. In America, sports plays an important role in the social life and economy. One of the most popular sports in the United States is basketball. Its league is called the National Basketball Association. “The NBA began back in 1946 and was founded by wealthy owners of different sports” (Rupert). While racism has been thought to be diminished in this modern advanced era that we’re living in, the fact is that it’s still exists in places we love to watch. Unfortunately racism is still alive and well particularly in the NBA.
Bill Russell is mainly known as one of the greatest basketball players that had ever played in the NBA. He won championships more than any other player in the history of the league. “He won eleven championships in only thirteen seasons, becoming the greatest winner in team sports history” (On Bill Russell…). He played for the city of Boston and its team the Boston Celtics. He started playing in 1956 and retired in 1969. Due to his black ethnicity, he faced many obstacles during and after his career that made people question the pureness of the NBA. Until the year of 2012, Bill Russell did not receive a statue that would honor him due to his achievements that he had brought to the city of Boston. This topic made many people that are associated with today’s world of sport quest...

... middle of paper ...

...y believe that what the commissioner did was the right decision.
Therefore, all the evidence that were shown previously can easily support the idea and belief that racism in the NBA still indeed exists. Racism began when the NBA first started back in the late 1940’s. Great players such as Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor, and Lebron James have all faced moments in their careers in which many believed that those actions towards them were racist actions. People’s actions such as the city of Boston’s fans back in the 1960’s, and Donald Sterling have all contributed to the spread of racism around the league. In life, we have people that help to spread this disease but we are so fortunate that we have others who help to stop and kill this disease of racism. Adam Silver, Lebron James, and media have all had contributions and actions that in fact helped the prevention of racism.

More about Racism in the NBA

Open Document