Been saying for years how racist it is that fans bring this up about virtually all African-origin players, regardless of their nationality, regardless of there being evidence to support it, regardless of the impossibility of getting everyone you ever knew to keep such a thing secret. I don't agree that we shouldn't joke about it. The old man must be losing it or something.
I love how people are claiming racism and all that, when it actually is a problem! I mean even Serge Ibaka's cousin has been busted using a fake birth certificate that said he was two years younger!!!! Link Like, for real, outraged PC culture strikes again
His cousin got caught at the college level. Pretty sure after 8 years of playing in the NBA and internationally with nothing shady coming up there's no real reason to suspect Ibaka other than prejudice.
Bullshit. Crying racism lmao. DId anyone doubt Embiid's age? Nope. Isn't he an african black man too? It's a fact, that people in SOME african countries bribe officials to change their birth certificates. It's a fact, that most citizens of many african countries dont' even know their age. It's a fact, that refugees from war torn countries have no papers, and officials in the asylum country just give them one date of birth, based on how old they look. It has nothing to do with racism it has to do with reality. Just saying "african" as a whole means nothing. There's african countries and african countries. I wouldn't doubt the birth certificate of an egyptian. But if someone is a refugee from Sierra Leone or Sudan? You bet. (Especially if he happens to have gone to highschool twice.)
Wtf does that have to do with Serge Ibaka? If your cousin is ****ing his sister, and you happen to come from an area long accused of rampant incest, does that mean you're ****ing your sister too? And if there was any evidence of it, don't you think the teams would have picked it up and cared about it? And if there's no evidence then what the hell are people doing? And please, save the PC bullshit. I'm not going to play this dumbass game the media has planted in your brain. Can't believe you guys are so easily wired up.
I don't get why it matters. They were evaluated based on their play, not age. Those propagating and enabling this has "that" agenda, IMHO.
Teams have actually picked it up just like they have with Thon Maker, Ersan Ilyasova and Biyombo. Why do you think that Ibaka wrote that right when he is a free agent?
Ehm ofcourse it matters. Basketball players aren't immortals. It doesn't matter so much when they are drafted or on their first contract but in their second, it makes all the difference in the world. It's different to give a 15 million 4 year contract to a 28 year old and different to give it to someone with the biological age of 30 or 31.
No, you're right. I guess we should be careful about people in all of Europe then. When you say something like: This statement is categorically false, first of all. Most important, it displays a shocking lack of understanding of African countries. Secondly, not having documents because of war is not the same as buying a fake birth certificate. Finally, they don't just guess the age. There are trained doctors assigning the age. That is the case in my country, so I guess it must also be the case in yours and in America. This is all racism bubbling in the background. There is no reason to suspect Serge Ibaka of having a fake birth certificate, no matter what you pull from loosely related information. Maybe there was a 1 week period where the team drafted him could legitimately have this question. To ask this question today has no reasonable basis as far as the individual human being Serge Ibaka is concerned. This whole thing reminds me of when Embiid told his fellow students that he killed a lion to prove his manhood when he was 6 years old. And they believed it. This is the kind of **** people from African countries are dealing with.
If there was no significant regression in Ibaka's play, I am sure the age will not be a factor. Of course, I agree at some point it is a factor especially if the player is pushing 40.
That analogy makes no sense. But, yeah people would probably consider it, even if it weren't true. That's the point. It happens, Ibaka's cousin did it, his play has regressed, so now people are wondering. Media planted this in my brain? Get off your high horse, this wouldn't even be a conversation is there wasn't evidence of this stuff happening. Screaming racism when there has been documented proof of this kind of thing happening is hardly racism, it's exercising caution. It's about risk-managment and knowing all the facts. Yeah, like teams and sports haven't been bamboozled before. Oh wait, I forgot teams are infallible and nothing gets past them . You're totally right, sorry for the misunderstanding.
There is no evidence of Serge Ibaka forging his birth certificate. None. It's been a decade. It's not risk management, and it's not exercising caution, and frankly it doesn't even ****ing matter as long as he is being judged by what he can do on the court. You are simply saying Serge Ibaka could be lying about his age because some people lie about their age in parts of the continent he lives in. That is 100% of your claim. Call it what you want.
oh yes. You SHOULD have legitimate reasons to doubt the age of a Roma that lives in Eastern Europe. Yes they do just guess the age. This happens in my country, in many European countries and in Australia. So maybe it's your lack of understanding that takes for granted that what happens in the USA is the same as what happens in other countries?
This isn't a court to need definite evidence with people giving statements and witnesses. Noone is going to throw Ibaka in prison or prosecute him. This is business. Are you going to make a 80 million investment on someone who's biological age is in doubt and is near 30? oh and btw rumours about Ibaka's age were surfacing before he made it to the nba, when he was still in Spain.
I'm saying that his play has regressed, there's evidence this happens in his country and family (his cousin)!!! And that if you're going to offer a 4-5 year contract to someone you don't want to have these kind of doubts. It's not the continent it's his damn country! That's called risk management. You're claim is that anyone who even considers it is racist, when you're just being wilfully ignorant or politically correct. It's not racism! No one's saying LeBron is older than he says. Edit: That being said I still want Ibaka on the team, I'd take the risk
Tsk. Ibaka will be offered contract mainly BASED ON HIS PLAY and not age. Why keep on harping about the "birth certificate"?
1) No, if the Roma can do it then god knows who else can do it. If the authorities have lost their credibility to keep everyone verified, then it's corrupt and everyone's age can be questioned. 2) Frankly, I don't believe you given what you've said here in general. Feel free to show some evidence. I don't believe there's just some untrained person guessing refugee age.
