In this week’s edition of NBA Talking Points, Andrew Sharp looks back at Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the subjects of a new HBO documentary. Imagine if a few things had gone differently... Plus: Kevin Durant compares himself to Larry Legend ... Cleveland fans, in love with Bron to bitter end ... Toronto’s the new hot spot ... and the Song of the Week has a Baltimore flavor, with a touch of Sri Lankan.
NBA Talking Points: What If Bird Was Black?
Okay, so the headline’s a little jarring, especially paired with that mullet-mustache look that Bird’s sporting there. But hear me out. Imagine someone reading about Larry Bird for the first time.
That’s from Larry Bird’s official NBA.com bio. Think about it. Reading those descriptions, someone unfamiliar with Bird would imagine a black player. He was a 6’9 forward with a deadly jumper, endless swagger, and a reputation for embarrassing anyone that had the gall to guard him one-on-one. Maybe it’s the way he’s described. Or maybe it’s just that anyone that’s uninitiated would make the reasonable assumption that one of the greatest basketball players in basketball history was black. But either way, that’s what they’d assume, right? It’s funny to think about.
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