In his June 23 column titled “Larry Bird scores for white America,” Leonard Pitts Jr. writes “no one has bothered to ask why there are so few white NBA players.” Well, let’s check out how this many-year pattern has emerged.

The seed for this was the arrival of almost 6-foot-10 African-American Bill Russell to the Celtics in what was almost exclusively a white league at the time, the 1956-57 season. Russell’s quick vertical and lateral jumping ability unsettled opponents’ offenses and also made him a terrific rebounder. The Celtics instantly went from years of mediocrity to more than a decade of being NBA champions, thanks largely to him.

So, as the league evolved tall, quick players – meaning essentially black – had to be acquired to somewhat neutralize Russell’s impact, one famous one being Wilt Chamberlain. Smaller, excellent black offensive players such as Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, Hal Greer and Lenny Wilkens also were coming into the league, which led to the need for quick black defenders.

These dynamics created a black-dominated league.

Evidence shows white players are as good as blacks in some specific skills. However, in the sports which require direct bodily interaction between those on offense and defense, such as basketball, football and boxing, the quicker, faster and more elusive athlete has the advantage.

Norm Gellatly, Auburn