The NBA has changed massively in the last 10 years. It’s not just the game that’s different now, the culture around it and the way social media has impacted the way players are perceived is also massive. Ja Morant posting memes after closing out the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round series is an excellent example of this, and considering that both teams are led by young stars, the series in its entirety saw a lot of trash-talking from both sides.
The entertainment value when stars do this is quite high, so obviously a lot of these antics have blown up quite a bit on social media. But there is a debate surrounding what it means for basketball and whether this is a good thing for the culture overall. NBA fan Ball Don’t Stop shared their thoughts about how this isn’t a good look for the league, and the sentiment was echoed by none other than superstar Damian Lillard.
Damian Lillard echoes Ball Don’t Stops comments on the Minnesota – Memphis series pic.twitter.com/2FZ0UIqeUa
— . (@TheNBACentral) May 1, 2022
Ball Don’t Stop: “The culture and psychology of the game has changed a lot, it’s sports entertainment now.”
Damian Lillard: “Must read caption.”
The fan pointed out possessions in the game where instead of selecting high-value shots, stars on both teams like Ja and KAT elected to launch deep threes instead, something that can be described as ‘hero ball’.
The way both teams celebrated their postseason triumphs despite not even having made it past the second round of the playoffs didn’t sit well with people either, with the fan suggesting that it might be premature considering that the Grizzlies have to face an experienced Warriors team next.
Lillard’s agreement is interesting but not surprising, Dame has shown that he has an old-school mentality throughout his time in the league. His loyalty to the Portland Trail Blazers is the biggest example of that, and if he feels the same way as a superstar, then the younger players would likely do well to take note of it.
