White Men Can Jump: The All-Light Complexion NBA Team

Michael Devivero by Scribe Written on November 14, 2008
Bird_feature

 

When someone asks you to picture an NBA basketball player in your mind, you probably won't conjure up an image of a skinny Caucasian guy.

So this team is giving some credit to the players who have overcome an apparent genetic disadvantage and certainly a stereotype.

Namely, white men can't jump.

So this is for the guys who can jump and have displayed several other skills in the NBA.

PG:  John Stockton, Utah Jazz, 1989-90 season

This is an easy choice. 

He's the NBA's all-time leader in assists (15,806) and steals (3,265). He's second in NBA playoff history with 1839 total assists, a 10.1 per game average. During the 1989-90 season, Stockton established a career high in points per game (17.2) that was matched the following season. He also had a remarkable 14.5 assists per game that season.

SG:  Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs, 2007-08 season

Ginobili seems to improve every season. Last season was no different. He averaged career highs in points (19.5), assists (4.5), and rebounds (4.8).  Imagine what he would have done if he had played more than 31.0 minutes per game.  He's the sixth man on a talented Spurs team, but he gets the start on this one.

SF:  Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, 1984-85 season

Bird's numbers in his 1984-85 MVP season were just ridiculous.  He averaged 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks. He did all this while shooting 52.2-percent, including 42.7-percent from 3-point range. He also made 88.2-percent of his free throws.

PF:  Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks, 2006-07 season

Most impressive in Dirk's MVP campaign was his 50.2-percent field goal percentage. But, 24.6 pts and 8.9 rebounds per game aren’t bad either.

However, the main reason he is on this list is that he is a match-up nightmare. He's 6-foot-11 and yet he shot 41.6-percent from beyond the arc that year. There are very few good perimeter defenders that have the height to challenge him.

C:  Bill Walton, Portland Trailblazers, 1977-78 season

As the 1978 MVP, The "Big Red-Head" averaged 18.9 pts, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. He put up similar numbers in the 1976-77 Portland championship season, but since he won the MVP and averaged 1.2 more assists per game, the 1977-78 season gets the edge.

So that's my team.  Feel free to mention any names you feel are more deserving.  Better yet, create your own All-anything NBA team, and if you're lucky, you might create one better than mine.

 

Vote Now! - Author Poll

Who is the MVP of the All-Light Complexion NBA Team?

  • John Stockton
  • Manu Ginobili
  • Larry Bird
  • Dirk Nowitzki
  • Bill Walton
vote to see results
Results - Author Poll

Who is the MVP of the All-Light Complexion NBA Team?

  • John Stockton

    4.5%
  • Manu Ginobili

    4.5%
  • Larry Bird

    86.4%
  • Dirk Nowitzki

    4.5%
  • Bill Walton

    0.0%
  • Total votes: 22
(0)
...
Share This  
Crop_45x45
or to post this comment

0 Comments

There are no comments yet. Get the conversation started by leaving the first comment

Loading more comments...
posted just now
  • Loading...
  • Nobody has liked this comment yet
Cancel

This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete

357
reads

0
comments

written on November 14, 2008 Opinion

The best newsletter on the web

Subscribe Now

We will never share your email address


CBS Sports Official Partner
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Getty Images.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.