Former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher got extremely candid about his views on the modern NBA while appearing on former Lakers coach and player Byron Scott’s ‘Fast Break’ podcast. The five-time champion compared the evolution of the NBA to how professional wrestling evolved, going from the gritty and violent WWF to a more sanitized and consumer-friendly WWE.
“When I kind of tap into more of [being] a basketball fan when I watch the NBA today, I sometimes compare it to [when] the WWE was WWF, World Wrestling Federation, and then it shifted to World Wrestling Entertainment.”
“Again, not right or wrong because one could argue that the WWE is a more impactful sport than the WWF was, depending on what side of the conversation you’re on. I feel like all pro sports, to some degree, not just in the NBA– even in the NFL, you listen to guys that have played before and coached before. It’s a different game, and it’s not a negative thing. It’s just built more for the entertainment value maybe than the competitive value.”
“In previous generations, it was designed like a battle, a war. Gladiator, so to speak, and it doesn’t mean the guys now aren’t tough; they’re soft. I’m not saying that. I know that is said in some conversations, but that’s not what I’m saying; it’s definitely a different way for them to show up and compete.”
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Fisher did everything he could to not bask the modern era completely, but he’s used a solid example to illustrate how the NBA has changed over the last 20 years. The WWE was criticized heavily for letting go of their more violent past with the WWF when they tried modernizing their product, though fans have now come to accept and enjoy it.
The same applies to the NBA, which made multiple rule changes throughout the 2000s to bring focus on individual skills by making large-scale changes to fouls and contact between players, giving birth to the supercharged offenses we see now due to the old defensive rules being gone for over 20 years now.
Charles Barkley Hates The 3-Point Shooting Focus In The Modern NBA
Fisher’s words were very calm and measured, sharing a solid example of the NBA’s change with another major media product going through similar changes. However, not all NBA legends are as calm about this topic as Fisher.
Charles Barkley tore into the modern era earlier this year in an appearance on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast, calling modern basketball a 3-point shooting contest.
“It’s awful basketball. I hate to be the old get off my lawn dude. No defense, and it’s becoming a three-point shooting contest. The only thing that bothers me is that [players] just go to the gym and jack up threes all night, and if they make them, they win, and if they miss them, they lose. I don’t mind guys shooting threes but you’re a big guy shooting threes now? If y’all just going to have a three-point shooting contest, just say it.”
The NBA will never please all customers. Some want rules like hand-checking to return and more homogeneity with FIBA rules, but the league is happy with its current format. While incremental rule changes keep happening, we’ll never go back to the dead-ball era of basketball where scores would rarely even touch 100 points.
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