The current NBA media landscape is filled with narratives and debates. Perhaps one of the most prevalent debates is of comparing old-school basketball to modern NBA. Shows like ESPN’s The First Take are notoriously popular for controversial debates.
Among the most recent, the debate of who is better between Bob Cousy and Chris Paul emerged as one of the most discussed topics on NBA Twitter. In the debate, while analyst Chris Russo claimed Cousy is indeed better than CP3, former Los Angeles Clippers shooter and Paul’s former teammate had some harsh words comparing Cousy’s competition to plumbers.
While the comment did garner quite a lot of attention, it seems like the comment certainly did not go well with former players of the game. Among the ones who were affected by Reddick’s comment is Ron Harper. In a recent post, Harper put up a highlight reel of Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins.
There, the former Bulls guard had a cryptic message on the post with the following caption.
“Crazy for a plumber player….. today players has no ideal”
Crazy for a plumber player….. today players has no ideal https://t.co/jc0iLGR8Vu
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) August 17, 2022
While a fan tried his best to explain that the plumber statement was regarding the players from the 1960s, Harper went on to claim that the comment shows disrespect by the players.
“It just shows the respect that young players don’t have!!!!”
It just shows the respect that young players don’t have!!!!
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) August 17, 2022
While the comment by JJ Reddick might have garnered multiple positive reactions by fans, claiming that the era in which Bob Cousy played was with plumbers at the helm is surely disrespectful.
It was players like Cousy who set a precedent for younger guards on how to play the game. If not for influential and innovative guards like Cousy, point guards like Chris Paul might not have thrived in the first place. Do you think Reddick’s comments on Bob Cousy’s era were outlandish?
