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Larry Bird believes the NBA could use more white superstars to entertain white fans.
In an interview with ESPN that will air today, the former Celtics great responded to a question asking whether the league lacks white stars.
"I think so," he said. "You know when I played, you had me and Kevin ( McHale) and some others throughout the league. I think it's good for a fan base because as we all know, the majority of fans are white America. And if you just had a couple of white guys in there, you might get them a little excited. But it is a black man's game, and it will be forever. I mean, the greatest athletes in the world are African-American."
Though Bird's remarks sparked some debate on talk shows and in newspapers, they didn't cause any stir at the NBA Finals.
And Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Cleveland's LeBron James, also participating in the round-table interview, disagreed with Bird.
"Race is not an issue," Anthony said. "Where I'm from, people love the Yao Mings, the Dirks, the Pejas."
KEEPING HIS COOL: Detroit's Rasheed Wallace is keeping his famed temper under control, both on the court and with the media.
In previous seasons, Wallace probably would have reacted terribly to a heartbreaking loss comparable to Game 2. But he remained confident and upbeat about the Pistons' chances.
"Kobe hit a good shot and we played hard, so we didn't give it away," he said.
He even refused to comment on the officiating that has sent him to the bench with foul trouble early in the first half of both games.
"I'm just out there playing, man," Wallace said.