Ex-NBA Star And Senator Bill Brady Shares How Basketball Helps Foster Racial Unity In His New Book `Values Of The Game'

Jet, Nov 23, 1998

Bill Bradley, a former U.S. senator and a member of two New York Knicks' championship teams during his NBA career, shares in his book, Values of the Game, how basketball helps to foster racial unity.

Bradley, who served in the Senate from 1979 until 1997 for the state of New Jersey, says in the book that basketball more than any other sport gives a unique perspective on the need for racial unity.

Bradley writes in the chapter titled "Perspective": "Bill Russell once said that the reason he liked the game was because it was about numbers, while much else in life was politics."

Bradley says Russell was commenting on the status of race in America, implying that a Black man, because of racism in this country, would not be judged solely on his ability when competing against Whites in areas other than a professional sport like basketball.

Playing basketball, Bradley continues, made the issue of race seem so silly.

"The right path is really very simple; give respect to teammates of a different race, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your common humanity, share your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal, help one another achieve it. No destructive lies. No ridiculous fears. No debilitating anger."

Pondering the question of why the dynamics of basketball lend themselves to achieving social equality, Bradley writes, "I believe it's because the community of a team is so close that you have to talk with one another; the travel is so constant that you have to interact with one another; the competition is so intense that you have to challenge one another; the game is so fluid that you have to depend on one another; the high and low moments are so frequent that you learn to share them; the season is so long that it brings you to mutual acceptance."

However, despite the wholesome dynamics of the game, Bradley would not say that no racists have ever played on a multiracial team and kept their prejudices intact. "My guess is that the numbers are few," he writes.

Other areas of the game that Bradley offers his views on in his book include "Passion," "Discipline," "Selflessness," "Respect," "Courage," "Leadership," "Responsibility," "Resilience" and "Imagination."