Former NBA Scorekeeper Makes Shocking Admission

During an appearance on Pablo Torre Finds Out, former Vancouver Grizzlies scorekeeper Alex Rucker admitted to juicing stats, which was in many ways a direct result of how the NBA trained their scorekeepers.

"My job is to create the most accurate historical record of what occurred in the game, and I learned very quickly that was not the prevailing viewpoint," Rucker said. "Part of this training, is they would show us video clips... There's a discussion, 'That wasn't an assist, that was a pass and then Malone dribbled a couple times, pump fake, pump fake, and made a tough shot.' That's great, but to me not [an assist]. And the majority opinion by a mile was, 'Oh no, that's definitely an assist. That's John Stockton.' I left there clearly understanding that yes, we are supposed to create the most accurate representation we can, but the NBA is also an entertainment business, and it's up to us, in very small part as statisticians, to support or reinforce stars and excitement and fun. And that message was definitely reinforced internally within the Grizzlies."

This admission was shocking for many, because it seems the NBA should care more about accuracy from their scorekeepers than anything else. While that would be the expectation, this former scorekeeper revealed that was not the case when he was being trained.

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