The NBA’s regular season debate is heating up again, and this time it has turned into a generational clash.
Former NBA veteran Eddie A. Johnson did not hold back when responding to Bill Simmons’ suggestion that the league should shorten the season from 82 games to 70. Johnson fired back on social media with a blunt reminder of how things used to be.
“The only reason they have 82 games is because we have forever had 82 games! We are not changing the history. Players according to you are faster, stronger and better. 82 should be a piece of cake. We did it flying commercial, 3 star hotels, and 1 trainer! Stop babying!”
It was a shot across the bow at today’s stars and the narrative that the modern schedule is simply too demanding.
Simmons, speaking on his podcast, argued the opposite. He believes the league has ‘huge fundamental issues’ and that the regular season is too long, leading to injuries, load management, and a watered-down product.
“To me, there are huge fundamental issues with the league that they’re just brushing aside and pointing to all the media money they’ve made and the fact that their players are famous and that everybody loves the playoffs.”
“The regular season has real issues. It’s too long. Guys are getting hurt too much. Everybody is making so much money. The only reason to have 82 games is because you make money from it. If you go down to 70, you make less money.”
“Guess what? Devin Booker, instead of making $75 million in 2028, will make 73. He’ll be fine. All this stuff they’re doing, they’re not serving the larger picture of what fans want.”
“How do we keep our players healthy? How do we have a competitive season from start to finish? How do we avoid over one fourth of our league not caring for the last two months? How do we fix this?”
“It’s the first time I’ve really wondered, do we have the right guy running the league? Because he doesn’t seem interested in actually fixing real problems that everybody can see.”
“And it’s not about saying, look at the NBA Cup, we created this thing. Your schedule is too long. You have to fix this. It’s too long. It should be 70 games.”
The tension between those two viewpoints reflects a bigger issue inside the league.
On one side, you have former players who believe the modern NBA has every advantage. Private jets, charter flights, five-star hotels, massive medical staffs, load management science, recovery technology, and contracts that dwarf anything from previous eras.
From that lens, 82 games should not feel overwhelming when compared to flying commercial and sharing basic training resources decades ago.
On the other side, today’s game is undeniably faster, more spaced out, and physically demanding in different ways. The pace is higher, players cover more ground defensively, offenses stretch big men out to the perimeter, and guards attack relentlessly. The wear and tear is real.
But the real problem might not even be the number 82.
The league is currently under heavy scrutiny for tanking and teams not taking games seriously. The Utah Jazz were recently fined $500,000, and the Indiana Pacers were fined $100,000 for sitting healthy players during tanking stretches.
The Jazz have even sat key players for entire fourth quarters in competitive games. The Sacramento Kings followed a similar blueprint in a recent matchup, pulling multiple rotation players.
With next year’s draft considered loaded, franchises are already jockeying for lottery position months before the season ends.
That is where the optics become dangerous.
When nearly one fourth of the league appears disengaged during the final stretch, fans notice. The home stretch is supposed to be when games matter most. Instead, playoff hopefuls are fighting for seeding while bottom-tier teams are actively maneuvering for ping pong balls.
Johnson’s frustration likely speaks less about player comfort and more about competitive pride. To him, shortening the season does not fix tanking. It does not fix accountability. It does not restore intensity.
The question is not simply whether 82 games are too long. The question is whether the league can create urgency and integrity across all 82.
Because if a quarter of the teams stop caring, the number does not matter.
