Kobe Bryant says he has never noticed any evidence of racial bias when it comes to NBA officiating.
“I think I’ve gotten more techs from black refs than white refs,” the Los Angeles Lakers star said jokingly Wednesday. “That’s reverse racism, probably.”
Bryant, LeBron James and other NBA players dismissed an academic study that found evidence of racial bias in referees’ calls, saying they’ve never experienced it.
According to an upcoming paper by a University of Pennsylvania professor and a Cornell graduate student, white referees called fouls against black players at a higher rate than they did against white players. Their study also found that black officials called fouls on white players more frequently than they did against blacks, but the disparity wasn’t as great.
“We obviously discuss officiating and our feelings toward it,” said Utah Jazz guard Derek Fisher, president of the NBA players’ association. “But I don’t ever recall it being a racially motivated type of conversation where we felt like there were certain guys that had it out for me or him or whoever just because of the color of our skin.”
James put it this way: “It’s stupid.”
Chicago Bulls forward P.J. Brown said, “Somebody’s got too much time on their hands.”
That misses the point, said Justin Wolfers, an assistant professor of business and public policy at the Wharton School and co-author of the study.
“This is not a view that one set of people hates another set of people. This is implicit, unconscious biases,” said Wolfers, who conducted the study with Joseph Price, a graduate student in economics at Cornell. “You see two players (collide) on the floor and you have to call a block or a charge. Does the skin color of the players somehow shape how you interpret the signals your brain gives you?”
Analyzing NBA box scores from a 13-season span running through 2004, the study found black players received fewer fouls per 48 minutes than white players, 4.33 to 4.97.
Trail Blazers: Guard Brandon Roy was awarded the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year.
Roy, who led all rookies with averages of 16.8 points, 4.0 assists and 35.4 minutes in 57 games, received 127-of-128 first-place votes (638 points) from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani finished second with 264 points, and Memphis’ Rudy Gay was third with 93 points.
Bobcats: Stan Van Gundy interviewed for Charlotte’s vacant coaching position.
Former Hornets and Cavaliers coach Paul Silas and former NBA player and assistant coach Mario Elie also interviewed this week to replace Bernie Bickerstaff, who served as the team’s coach and GM in its first three years and is staying with the team in a front-office role.
