NBA players from every generation have always felt like their era was more challenging than the ones that came after it. The modern game gets talked down on by old heads who claim that defense is no longer played in the league and that today’s superstars are all soft.
While there is some truth to these claims, many of them are simply unfounded in anything other than opinion. And in 2019, while accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award at the NBA Awards, Larry Bird bashed those who make this claim.
“These old, broken-down NBA players talking about their era and how great they were back then, and the players today are not as good as they were back then,” Bird said. “That’s crazy, man. You haven’t seen LeBron James in the last 17, 18 years? You haven’t seen Klay Thompson score 37 points in one quarter. … You don’t see James Harden come down the lane and dunking on whoever’s standing there.
“It’s just amazing how these guys are playing the game today, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. The game’s in a good place. I tell all these young players coming in today, ‘Keep the game the way you found it, and it can go on for generations to come.'”
(starts at 6:50 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdaUy4bv2lI
To hear one of the greatest to ever do it say this is a testament to the fact that every era has its challenges and its own truly great players. The NBA has been blessed with some of the greatest athletic talents the world has ever seen, and it’s important to remember that and celebrate them while they’re still playing.
Many Legends Of The Past Have Criticized The Modern NBA
Despite Larry Bird’s words, many NBA legends have criticized the modern era since he gave this speech in 2019. James Worthy took a shot at all modern stars both about the way they play the game and about their activities off the court. He isn’t the only one, Shaquille O’Neal has also criticized the stars of today.
It’s probably impossible for older generations to connect with the game as it grows and changes beyond recognition, but they must do so. And in case any people from the 80s or 90s feel like they are specifically right about the current era, they should hear what Wilt Chamberlain had to say about that era of the NBA.
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