Diversity in the NBA
Since the beginning of the National Basketball Association’s history, the number of foreign players has increased exponentially. As a matter of fact, a record ninety-two foreign players from 39 different countries and territories were active on NBA rosters at the beginning of the current season (NBA Tips Off 2013-14 Season with Record International Player Presence”). In today’s game, foreign and international players have become a common site and are fundamental parts of many NBA teams. Ever since Italian-born, Canada raised Henry Biasatti stepped foot on a National Basketball Association court, international talent has become an important part of a, now global, NBA. International players such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki have contributed to the league with All-Star selections, Most Valuable Player awards, and even Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals. There’s no doubt, international talent has turned the NBA into a diverse, ultra-competitive professional sports league.
Several foreign basketball players have individually left their marks on NBA courts, in NBA record books, and in their fans’ hearts. Different ethnic groups, races, and sports fans in general have united, cheering on heroic efforts from players from overseas. These international players amped up the level of competition in basketball and found themselves at home in the NBA. Four international players have been honored with the most prestigious award a player can receive in professional basketball, NBA MVP. These same four players are undoubtedly future Hall of Famers and were listed in the top 30 international players of all time in a 2013 “Dime Magazine” article (Daruaku). These four players, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan,...
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...raft continues to bring more foreign players into the league “with a record setting 12 foreign-born first-round picks” in the 2013 NBA Draft (Florida). The new youth of foreign players added by the draft ensures that the NBA will remain a diverse league for a while. As international NBA stars continue to become more popular and common in the league, the NBA will experience new incredible talent and global sensations. These players and their impressive contributions to the overall NBA and its teams will make the league prosperous with their fiery competitiveness. Future Most Valuable Players and National Basketball Associational All Stars from different countries will emerge in professional basketball. The competition in the league seems like it is here to stay with a blend of different cultures all joining together and challenging each other on the court.
Lin is an important public figure of this decade, yet it is awful that it has taken years for an Asian American to be a part of the NBA. In the documentary, Lin demonstrated that even as an underdog he never gave up, and he had many reasons why he should have. Lin is also perceived as a someone with many financial difficulties, but in reality he had all the resources to be successful: parent’s support, financial support, education support, and athletic support. The documentary is biased because it makes him appear as a one in a million who was able to make it pro. Linsanity is powerful in sharing and inspiring minorities, but because the movie is biased about social status, and no other minority has struggled in the league.
It was not until the year 2002 that the NBA was able to find someone to match Jordan’s dazzling acrobatic style of play. His name is Lebron James. Lebron, who plays shooting guard and small forward, stands at an athletic six-eight. James, however, never played in the NCAA. He was drafted straight out of high school in the 2003-04 season, by the Cleveland Cavaliers. James is already on the road to success by achieving co-rookie of the year, and he appeared in the Olympics. James is expected to be a champion, but he may not have what it takes to become a real champion such as Michael Jordan was. Before Jordan or James can be categorized as a champion, they have to be able to handle pressure, fame, and maintain a positive relationship with their team. When comparing Jordan and James’ clutch capabilities, or their ab...
Due to vast improvements throughout history, human rights has allowed people to freely speak their ideas and beliefs. Also, the transition from a modernized society to a more virtual society has allowed people to express their ideas more freely and have access to news from all over the world. Thus, people are entitled to their opinion,ideas, and beliefs. However, all expressed ideas have counter arguments for example in religion people might share different views based on their beliefs but they still have the security of their right to maintain their beliefs freely. Since society has took a dip in the virtual side of living, division due to power has strengthened through the use of social media. This has lead society into a dystopia, where control by a higher power is enabled. More over, associations such as the National Basketball Association have the power to enforce regulations on their players to maintain power and rule. For example, in recent years the NBA as enforced a strict dress code where players can no longer wear their desired choice of clothing but instead dress formal when entering and when leaving the stadium. Thus, from this action a dystopian environment is created, players no longer can express themselves freely and if they do they will be punished. Such regulations have caused higher authority over people inhibiting them from freely expressing ideas and beliefs which is completely wrong. People, especially players who are so highly valued, should be allowed the right to freely express themselves on interviews or even when dressing . This is because those who are allowed to freely express themselves are much more comfortable and happier.
In the last ten years many young and talented high school basketball players have chosen to enter the NBA draft. These 17 and 18 year olds decide to skip college, and instead they choose to take a big risk and enter the NBA, hoping to become stars and earn millions of dollars. In many cases, these youngsters’ careers are a failure because they don’t turn out as talented as they thought to be. They end up spending only a few seasons in the NBA because they are not good enough to compete at that level. Many of them have to move on to doing other things, such as playing basketball overseas, doing everyday jobs, or going back to college to earn a degree.
The NBA is well known for the number of amazing professional athletes it has had over the years. Some of the most gifted and talented individuals come through the NBA and one of the better-known superstars is none other than Kobe Bryant. For years people have wondered what makes Bryant so successful. The main contributors that lead to Kobe Bryant’s success is his hard work and dedication, his mindset, his natural ability’s and talent, and the people that have helped him throughout his life. Kobe Bryant was very successful in the NBA because of the amount of hard work he has put in, the people in his life, his relentless determination and his god given natural abilities.
Lately in the NBA you might have noticed a lot more players from Europe playing for different teams in the league. Previously in the European players did not have the opportunity to play professional basketball for the NBA. Players that did get a chance rarely succeeded in the league of the worlds best basketball players, they were most likely traded until teams realized the little amount of talent compared to NBA superstars in the European players and then cut...
Terrence and Jordin Tootoo grew up in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, in Canada’s arctic region. They were like other Inuit children in Rankin Inlet in many respects: They were brought up to respect the customs of their people and they enjoyed the resources the land around them provided- they learned to hunt and fish for food like the others. However, the brothers were also different from their peers in one main respect- they were blessed with a love for the game of hockey, and also with extraordinary amounts of talent which would enable them to leave their native community to pursue the dream of professional hockey. While the brothers were growing up they were inseparable; however, after leaving Rankin Inlet to pursue the professional game their respective careers took strikingly different paths. Jordin’s journey took him to the top- he was drafted into the National Hockey League and signed a lucrative contract with the Nashville Predators. However, Terrence’s road to the professional ranks was filled with hardship and tragedy, ultimately resulting in his suicide in August of 2002. The contrasting paths taken by the brothers is an illustration of how professional sporting careers can have varying impacts on the lives of Native American and Canadian athletes and their communities. In the following few paragraphs I will outline the history of Native Americans and Canadians in sports. I will examine how successful Native athletes are able to help their communities, both financially and by serving as role models for younger Natives. Also, I will argue that their still exist barriers and challenges to Native athletes that do not confront other athletes. For example, Native athletes are often placed under increased scrutiny because of their positions as role models. I will conclude by commenting on how Native athletes fit into pro sports today, and speculate on what can be done to increase the amount of success enjoyed by Natives.
Many NCAA basketball players who make the decision to enter the NBA are not mentally prepared to deal with the responsibilities of life in the NBA. Young players depend on others who influence them or help make bad life decisions. What the young players visualize as the reward for playing in the NBA is the big money and with that big money make many mistakes financially. In th...
Like Robinson, these men paved the way for today’s players and are the reason that the best athletes in the world now play in the NBA.” (Dave Howell, NBA.com, Six Who Paved The Way, Page 1). African-Americans in basketball, more specifically the first 5 players, began to make people realize that African Americans were not foreign creatures, they were actual people. People also began to realize that African Americans make equally as significant contributions to the society and community as anyone else
First, we will celebrate LeBron James’s accomplishments in the NBA. There are over 400 players in the NBA. These players are on the battlefield, fighting day after day because they all know only one can become the Most Valuable Player. LeBron James rose above all, claiming the MVP award, not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 times. Not only is LeBron James an MVP, but he is also a 13-time All-Star player. LeBron James garnered enough votes from the fans, the players, and the media to become an All-Star like a presidential candidate getting enough votes from the voters to become the President.
Abstract: Basketball players who enter the NBA early are not ready for the NBA. Early entry into the NBA by high school and college basketball players has had a negative affect on the college basketball program, the NBA, and the players themselves. Each year the number of early entries in the NBA rises more and more. In 1997, 47 basketball players entered the NBA draft early, and the number has risen since then. The college basketball program is drained of talent due to players leaving early. The high school players that go directly into the NBA are hurting the college program because they never contribute to the college program at all. The NBA now has to deal with a higher level of immaturity and disrespect by young players. College basketball players obtain a certain amount of respect and maturity in college. The players suffer by not grasping the concept of learning due to lack of education. Many analysts say that entering the NBA before finishing a four-year program is entering too early. The NBA commissioner, David Stern, has begun to work on ways to encourage players to go to and stay in college.
The National Basketball Association is the most popular professional basketball league in North America; it is also the most popular professional basketball league in the world. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most diverse businesses in the world, which was the deliberate plan of former NBA commissioner David Stern. The NBA was once an all white and male dominated league, now through years of an aggressive effort to diversify the organization the NBA is now one of the shining beacons for diversity, tolerance and acceptance in the workplace. Former NBA commissioner David Stern spearheaded and put into action on the best examples of creating and cultivation opportunities for success based on merit. “When David Stern steps down as NBA Commissioner in 2014, among the legacies he will have created is an era in professional sport when leagues and teams hired the best people possible. He embraced the moral imperative for diversity while helping to show the other leagues that diversity is also a business imperative. The evidence for the NBA’s continued commitment to racial equality is seen in the strong grades in the League Office and in many key areas on the team level.”(Lapchick, R.) To fully understand the transformation of the league we will cover the history of the association, team diversity, league diversity, the NBA diversity initiative, and current diversity issues.
The NBA is a desirable basketball hotspot. Domestic players train to be drafted, and International players want to enter the NBA.
His contributions to the NBA and the Asian American community might never be matched. Asian Americans know how it feels to be at the bottom of the totem pole and the topic of jokes and stereotypes. They have succeeded in many areas, but sports are not one of them. So, when the rare time comes and a star Asian American sports figure emerges, they tend to latch on and rally around these athletes. This can be seen through the likes of Tiger Woods and Yao Ming. However, no athlete of any race or social class has ever seen the support that Jeremy Lin has. People have looked up to him as a hero or savior for Asians living in America. Phil Yu, the founder of a popular Internet blog called Angry Asian Man, put the “Linsanity” into perspective when he was quoted stating, “Asian-Americans are still seen as foreigners in this country, seeing Jeremy Lin accepted and celebrated in this American sport, it makes us more American, and it makes other people see us as more American." This quote does a great job of showing the real value that Jeremy Lin holds as a true icon in the Asian American community. They rallied around him as a symbol of hope and perseverance. To show just how valued Jeremy Lin is to his fan base, one could look at his game against the Raptors in the middle of Linsanity as a prime example. In this game, Jeremy hit a last second three pointer to seal the victory for the New York Knicks. The
Basketball has had a large impact in the society. In the NBA, the teams bring out nationalism within their city. Various cities have a National basketball team representing them in the NBA. This in turn brings out a healthy competition that paves the way to socialization, support, and unity among individuals. NBA players can have a positive impact on individuals as well as an entire nation. ESPN deemed Jeremy Lin, an NBA player, to have the ability to expand basketball largely in China.