Introduction

National Basketball Association has not been devoid of racism. Although, NBA is one of the most inclusive games as far as ethnicities are concerned. But the league has experienced many discriminatory incidents over the years.

The NBA was founded in 1946 when racial discrimination was still affluent in American society. At the outset, it was a white-dominant game. Wat Misaka was the first non-white/Asian player to make it to the NBA in 1947. While Earl Lloyd was the first black player to play in the NBA in 1950. In contemporary times, many athletes from different countries are part of the game but still the racism exists in NBA.

Coloured Players’ Participation In  Basketball Early On

The Coloured players had many barriers to participation in basketball at the highest level like segregation, limited resources, admission policy, discriminatory behaviour of the teammates, etc.

But the Black athletes braved all the odds and played for many prominent college teams and also the international levels in the future.

African-American players like Paul Robeson and Wilbur Wood played for Rutgers University and the University of Vermont respectively before World War I.

A few black players were allowed to play higher-level basketball from 1920 till 1947. The prominent names include Jackie Robinson, Don Barksdale, Chuck Cooper, and Earl Lloyd.

The year 1966 proved to be the turning point for black players. The Texas Western Miners, an all-black starting team, defeated the all-white Kentucky Wildcats winning the NCAA championship. The game changed the complexion of the NBA and players from all colours and ethnicities started to join.

Racism in the NBA                                             

The game has been facing racist issues for a long time. Some of the major concerns of the games are Lack of Representation, Discrimination, Pay disparities, Stereotyping, Lack of Support, etc. A lot has happened in the NBA on-field and off-field.

• In the first three seasons of the NBA, there was not a single black player on the Eleven teams with more than 150 players. Although there were all-black teams like Newyorik Renaissance/Rens and Harlem Globetrotters. Black people were not allowed to play. The ban was lifted in 1950.

• During the Playoffs in 1961, a black player Bill Russel was playing for Boston Celtics. He was denied service at the hotel after the game. Though the blacks were allowed to play, the grudge was still simmering beneath the surface.

• In 1965 all-star NBA game was moved from New Orleans to Houston. As the hotels and the New Orleans won’t serve the black players. The black players protested not to play the game. The white players also decided not to play if the black players are discriminated against. The passer-by in the streets also hurled slurs and racist comments at the coloured players which ultimately led to the shifting of the game venue.

• Kareem Abdul Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor, refused to represent the USA in the 1968 Olympics owing to the discriminatory treatment of black athletes in America.

• In 1983 during a playoff game between Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks, Danny Angie and Tree Rollins took a jab at each other.

• In 1984, Larry Bird from the Boston Celtics passed racist comments at Black players in a playoff game playing against Atlanta Hawks.

• NBA star player Magic Johnson announced in 1991 that he was HIV positive. The announcement led to immense discrimination and the dread of people positive for HIV.

• In 1998, Reggie Miller passed racist comments against New York Knicks fan Spike Lee in a playoff game. Miller was fined for voicing racist comments.

• 2004 witnessed “Malice at the Palace. It was in a game between Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons that a fight broke out between players and fans. Ron Artes of the Pacers couldn’t control his emotions and went into the stands to fight with the fans. Ron was fined and suspended for the rest of the season.

• ESPN also had its part in the racist controversies. In 2014 ESPN published a racist slur as a headline about New York Knicks players Jeremy Lin. The writer wrote “chink in the armor” while describing the Knicks point guard. The writer was fired and ESPN tendered an apology for the remarks.

• Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, had to pay the price for his racist views passed against African-American players in 2017. His girlfriend made his words public. Sterling was banned for lifetime and was forced to sell the team.

• Former Cleveland Cavaliers player Lebron James’ home was sprayed with racial slur graffiti in 2017. It was just a day before he play in the NBA finals.

• The arrest of a Milwaukee Bucks player, Sterling Brown, over a minor parking violation, sparked controversy in 2018. He filed a lawsuit against those responsible alleging racial discrimination.

• Kyle Korver from the Utah Jazz inked an article about racism in the NBA in 2018. A fan was banned for a lifetime when he passed racist comments at Russell Westbrook from Oklahoma city thus making Korver write the article.

• The death of George Floyd sparked global protests asking for social justice for black people. The NBA players were allowed to wear messages supporting racial justice, on their outfits.

• In 2022, Robert Sarver the owner of Phoenix Suns and Mercury was given a year ban for racist slurs and misconduct. Robert was also fined $10 million which will be donated to combat gender and race-based harassment.

Achievements Of NBA To Alleviate Racial Discrimination

The NBA has toiled hard to combat racism and discrimination on and off the field. It has come a long way to promote social justice and equality.

NBA was the first American sports league to take steps for integration in the 1950s. Black players like Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Asian American Wat Misaka played for the first time in the league.

In 1963 the NBA held first ever the All Stars Game to encourage inclusion. There was no segregation in hotels, restaurants, or anywhere else.

An affirmative action program was launched in 1965. The program helped increase African American players’ administration, coaching, and other departments of the league.

Bill Russell was hired as the first African-American Coach of the NBA. Russell is one of the greats of the NBA who went on to win 11 championships as a player and as a coach.

In the era of 1970, a Player’s union was established to work for the betterment of the players, disregarding race, colour, and ethnicity. More and more diversity kept coming into the game. The First Black general manager, Wayne Embry, was hired in 1979.

The administration went one step further by introducing Rooney Rule to the game in the 80s. The rule makes it mandatory to interview one minority candidate for the position of head coach and senior front office positions. Many sports other than basketball have also adopted the same rule.

In 1987 it became mandatory for the players to attend sensitivity training thus becoming the first professional league to do so.

In partnership with National Urban League in 1991, the NBA established a “Stay in School” program to reduce the dropout ratio of African American students.

In 1996 “NBA Cares” program was launched aiming to improve the living standard of people globally. A diversity and inclusion committee was also established to make sure that the league is inclusive.

NBA lay immense focus on Literacy. The league in collaboration with its players started the “Read to Achieve” program encouraging education among underprivileged communities in 2005.

In 2011 the President of the USA awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom to NBA star Bill Russell not only for his sports heroics but also for his struggle against Racial discrimination.

From 2014 onwards the league adopted a “Zero Tolerance” policy for players and coaching staff of the league. Anyone resorting to racial discrimination will be dealt with strictly as per policy.

A Council of Diversity and Inclusive Leadership was initiated by NBA in 2016 to promote diversity and inclusion in the game.

In 2020 the NBA postponed one of its games to draw the attention of the state toward the shooting of a Black person named Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha.

Former NBA star and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul has been a potent voice against racial discrimination on and off the field. The NBA announced to name the Social Justice Champion award after Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The award was created in 2021.

In September 2022, for passing derogatory remarks against Draymond Green the owner of the Phoenix Suns was suspended and heavily fined.

Percentage Of Players In NBA By Colour and Ethnicity

According to statistics in 2022, about 72 percent of the NBA players are African American. While 16.8 percent are White, 3.1 percent are Latino, 0.4 are Asian and the rest are from other nationalities and races.

Conclusion

The NBA has witnessed many ups and downs in history. But it has never given up on its policy of equality. The league is constantly trying to make the game more diverse, help the underprivileged community and make the world a better place to live together.