"You play just like a n-word, but you get to be white" - Rex Chapman recalled a racist comment from a fan during his HS basketball days

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The NBA is an outlier in the world of sports when it comes to the race of its players, as it is one of the only professional sports leagues where African American players make up the majority of the league. So, in a sense, white players end up finding themselves as the minority in the NBA.

This is something that Rex Chapman understood quite well during his career as a professional basketball player. Unsurprisingly, it was something he dealt with throughout his playing days, dating all the way back to his time in high school.

Chapman shares a story from his time in HS

Rex was born and raised in Kentucky and played basketball at Apollo High School. Of course, 'The Boy Wonder' was a highly touted prospect then, so many folks turned out to see him take the court when his team played.

As previously noted, star white basketball players aren't super common, so Chapman was an even more intriguing player to watch in some fans' eyes. After one game, though, one fan crossed the line by making a racist remark to Rex that has stuck with him to this day.

"I was probably about 16 and a guy came up to me, we were playing a road game, and I was coming out of the locker room," Chapman said on Pablo Torre Finds Out. "I was a sophomore, and he was a big, gruff looking guy, and he kind of put his arm on my shoulder and he looked over at me and he said, 'Man, I love watching you play. You play just like a n-word, but you get to be white.'"

"And there was a bunch of adults standing around, and I was very uncomfortable, but then nobody said anything to him. And then when I got on the bus I thought, 'That's the worst thing I've ever heard,'" Chapman admitted.

Rex highlights race issues 

It goes without saying that race should not play a role in any conversation surrounding basketball and the NBA. Still, there are always fans who cross a line with heinous comments like this. And in the process, it shows the uncomfortable situations these players are sometimes subjected to.

This isn't to say that black players (or really players of any race) aren't subjected to racism in the NBA because that simply isn't the case. But in a turn of events, many white players are also subjected to racism since they are among the minority in the association.

Chapman was clearly not comfortable with the comment at the moment, but it wasn't until he got on the team bus that he realized how messed up the whole thing was. Somehow, the fan managed to be racist towards both Rex and black players with one simple remark.

While we have thankfully made progress since this occurred back in the 1980s, the fact that it is still a topic of discussion proves there is still a lot of work to be done. Hopefully, there will be a day when race plays no role in the game of basketball and the NBA as a whole.