Great White NBA players

[Snow Plow]

Walton was part of the last great white American NBA teams, the 1986 Boston Celtics. Whites combined for around 80 points per game with 3 starters and 8 of 12 on the roster.

 

[SneakyQuick]

Well summed up. I'm younger than most here, but Walton always rubbed me as a Deadhead Hippie libtard. He was liked by his BSPN colleagues for what it is Worth..

I always found him annoying but he was great when healthy. Ironically I think his hippy politics abated a bit late in his life.
Course it’s way too late for California now,

 

[Hollyhood0307]

Kelly Tripucka, Kiki Vandeweghe & Mike Gminiski are a few of the real GOATS

 

[Hollyhood0307]

Don't ever forget Vinny Del Negro, Matt Harpring & Detlef Schrempf

 

[Booth]

Keith Van Horne
Jeff Mullins
Jeff Ruland
Mark Eaton
Jason "White Chocolate" Williams

 

[white is right]

I had a vegan landlord years ago and during the winter it seemed he was always battling some bug or another. Walton maybe should have had at least some meat in his diet.

Was Walton a vegan in his Portland days?

I know Walton was a bit of a weirdo but he did walk the walk I heard stories about Walton refusing bottled water because of the environmental impact of the plastic bottle. He also drove a electric vehicle, I loved his commentary when he criticized a players errant play by stating" Coach Wooden wouldn't have drawn up that play..."

 

[jacknyc]

You could put together an all-time White team from the the 1980s Celtics, with these 5 guys (in their prime):

Larry Bird at small forward
Kevin McHale at power forward
Bill Walton - center
Pete Maravich - shooting guard
Danny Ainge - point guard

 

[Leonardfan]

John Stockton! One of the best PGs of all time.

 

[white lightning]

John Stockton! One of the best PGs of all time.

I still rate him as the best point guard of all time. John Stockton is still the NBA's All Time Assists and Steals Leader. On top of that he was
a very good scorer in a time where defense still had the advantage. He played just as hard on defense as he did on offense. Stockton was
a coach on the floor who could do everything. The only guys close to him is Magic Johnson and Bob Cousy but Stockton is the best!

 

[FootballDad]

I still rate him as the best point guard of all time. John Stockton is still the NBA's All Time Assists and Steals Leader. On top of that he was
a very good scorer in a time where defense still had the advantage. He played just as hard on defense as he did on offense. Stockton was
a coach on the floor who could do everything. The only guys close to him is Magic Johnson and Bob Cousy but Stockton is the best!

I remember when Magic Johnson had the assists record he just said that he was placeholding it for Stockton.

 

[jphoss]

I remember when Magic Johnson had the assists record he just said that he was placeholding it for Stockton.

Gary Payton always said he was the hardest player in the league for him to guard. When blacks got all indignant saying it had to be mj credit to gp for standing his ground and explaining why stockton was the harder player to guard. He completely controlled the pace of the game. If he played in today’s era imagine the numbers he would put up

 

[Math1990]

Well, there is no doubt about the qualities of white players, but I think one of the main motivations for the NBA to want black players, It's just that they don't want to sell the sport (basketball), they want to sell a product , A white player will always want to win, he would rather score 20 points per game and be a champion than be super individualistic and score 25.0 And flex he muscles but win nothing, A white player will most of the time want to be a tactical player, etc, Very different from super individual black players who care more about themselves than the club or the competition, For example Kevin McHale he could have gone to another team and finished his career with more than 20 points per game, But he preferred to stay with BIRD and help the Celtics become champions, The NBA wants Showtime/circus (What Black players Can Offer) And not a high level competition (Which could mean less wide scores which Americans are terrified of, for them all sports have to be 150-140 With No tactics).

I believe that in the end the American sports entertainment scene contributed to this, as there is no fan identification with the club (Which means that there is none established fan base, soccer for example, a son is Often supporting his father's team, Even if this team suck or has become **** and supporting another team (Even if it's a super team) is almost a social disapproval, especially If he become a fan of a rival team) , in america the leagues have to increasingly sell Showtime to be popular And don't lose fans (Take, for example, the NBA's recent rule changes to make the game have more and more points).

 

[Carolina Speed]

A white player will always want to win, he would rather score 20 points per game and be a champion than be super individualistic and score 25.0 And flex he muscles but win nothing, A white player will most of the time want to be a tactical player, etc, Very different from super individual black players who care more about themselves than the club or the competition,

Well said. This is why Larry Bird, the GOAT, won ROY in 1979-80. Bird as a rookie took Boston from a 29-53 team in 78-79 to a 61-21 team in 79-80. Averaging 21/10/4.5. He could've easily averaged 29-30 points over his career, but chose team over self.
Bird is the first player in history to accomplish a 50/40/90 season. 50% FG/ 40% Three-Point FG/90% Free Throw. He is one of only three players in NBA history to accomplish this feat 3 times in his career.
BTW, don't know if Steve Nash has been mentioned on this thread, but he has the most 50/40/90 seasons with 4.
Nash definitely one of the all-time great white players!

 

[The Hock]

Mark Price. Mr. Consistent.

 

[Quiet Speed]

Mark Price. Mr. Consistent.

Sensational

 

[jimmyjerapolo]

I believe that in the end the American sports entertainment scene contributed to this, as there is no fan identification with the club (Which means that there is none established fan base, soccer for example, a son is Often supporting his father's team, Even if this team suck or has become **** and supporting another team (Even if it's a super team) is almost a social disapproval, especially If he become a fan of a rival team) , in america the leagues have to increasingly sell Showtime to be popular And don't lose fans (Take, for example, the NBA's recent rule changes to make the game have more and more points).

You're right that the NBA has no fan identification with the team, but I wouldn't call it an "American sports" problem (if you want to call it a problem). Team loyalty is much higher in the NFL and MLB. I would argue your first paragraph sums up a big reason as why this is the case, rather than the other way around.

 

[NikoDuke]

I always enjoyed Manu Ginobili and his competitive mindset. He was a big factor in escalating the profile of Argentinian basketball and beating the US in 04.

This game and Greece beating USA in 06 played a part in chipping away the myth of Black American basketball superiority and increased the number of international players in the league

 

[SneakyQuick]

Ginobili was amazing. Good call!

 

[Don Wassall]

Unless I missed it, Chris Mullin hasn't been mentioned in this thread. Brooklyn born and bred, he had a great college career at St. Johns, capped by winning the John Wooden Award in 1985 as the country's top player. He was then drafted seventh overall by Golden State and had a stellar NBA career, averaging over 25 points per game in five straight seasons at his peak. (Best to watch the video with the sound off.)

 

[jphoss]

I always enjoyed Manu Ginobili and his competitive mindset. He was a big factor in escalating the profile of Argentinian basketball and beating the US in 04.

This game and Greece beating USA in 06 played a part in chipping away the myth of Black American basketball superiority and increased the number of international players in the league

This video makes a great case that ginobili was the mvp of those spurs teams and was underutilized

 

[The Hock]

Chris Mullin. Saw him live in Salt Lake NCAA tourney. Gail Goodrich is another finesse lefty we should remember:

 

[FootballDad]

Chris Mullin. Saw him live in Salt Lake NCAA tourney. Gail Goodrich is another finesse lefty we should remember:

The Lakers backcourt of Goodrich and West was one of the all-time best. My favorite LA Lakers days.