In the latest episode of his self-titled show, former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas gave his latest hot take on the Michel Jordan. According to Arenas, the Bulls legend was the only player who had truly “elite” athleticism.
“Jordan is a 10, it’s like a car. All of Jordan’s competition in that era did not even have the physical tools to keep up with him. So he was basically a Bugatti, and everybody else was a Honda Civic. All the shooting guards were 6’4″, they had no jumping ability, so who he went against, they weren’t talented. Meaning, they weren’t athletic enough to keep up with him. Today, everybody has a 40″ vertical that can jump with me.”
Does Anthony Edwards have a point about Michael Jordan being the only skilled player of his era? pic.twitter.com/MUM8tUdb5d
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) August 27, 2024
For Arenas, Michael Jordan was the only one of his kind. During his reign in the ’80s and ’90s, Gil argues that Mike (a 6x NBA champion) was in a tier of his own and several levels above the competition in his sport. And while Michael Jordan’s status as the greatest is undeniable, some insist that his dominance/legacy would not translate the same if he was playing today instead of 20+ years ago. Modern NBA superstar Anthony Edwards is one of those people.
The segment in question was a direct response to a quote made by Anthony Edwards last week and it sparked major controversy online. The Timberwolves guard sparked major controversy when he said that most players in the 80s and 90s lacked skill and that Michael Jordan was the only one who could be considered an “elite” athlete back in the day.
Whether you love or hate Edwards, the comments border on disrespect when you consider legends like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, and Jerry West. Just a few days ago, Fadeaway World named up to 10 old generational players who had elite skills with the ball. It wasn’t just Michael Jordan who had the edge every night and several OG players (like Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas) have come out to try and make their case.
But even with proper respect to the legends, we can acknowledge that the NBA is more skilled today than it’s ever been before. As basketball has developed over time, and become more popular around the world, players are finding new ways to dominate the game and teams are stronger now than at any point in NBA history.
Today, every player on the court is able to make a play and either create a shot for themselves or set their teammate up for easy buckets. Every position on the floor must be able to not only be able to shoot from a distance, but they must also be able to handle the ball to keep the offense flowing.
In the modern game, we have more NBA stars than ever and more players who can be considered “elite” performers on both ends of the floor. The game itself has developed and evolved to a point where it’s almost unrecognizable from what we saw decades earlier.
In the future, it’s likely that that game will continue trending in this direction but it’s important not to invalidate those who paved the way for others. As good as Michael Jordan was, he was far from the only skilled player in his time and the others deserve their respect.
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