Lakers superstar LeBron James is the face of modern-day basketball. The 17x All-Star and 4x NBA Champion has dominated the league for almost two decades now, demonstrating his specialty in almost every aspect of the game.
And while it’s impossible to deny LeBron’s greatness today, his career would be vastly different had he played in another era.
Following this train of thought, former NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace made an appearance on Million Dollaz Worth of Game, where he spoke about what kind of success LeBron would have had he played in more traditional times:
“He probably would’ve done good with his physical stature, with him being bigger than the majority of the rest of the players. So he probably would’ve held his own, but I don’t think he would be as successful as he is now. It’s a whole different era back then. I couldn’t necessarily say that he would’ve been a beast but I think he would’ve held his own.”
The NBA nowadays is very soft when it comes to physical contact. Hand-check rules and other regulations have ensured that offensive players don’t get touched by their defenders.
LeBron is dominating in a time that heavily favors offense, long-distance shooting, and smaller guard play. Obviously, a vastly different league than it used to be.
Even for a guy like Kevin Durant, it’s hard to say he’d be as successful during a different era.
“In that era? No, I don’t think he [Durant] would’ve had too much success. Now, he’s a monster. You have to look at it this way, back then, there were a lot of post-ups. Back then, the game was inside-out. Now, it’s outside-in.”
During his prime, Rasheed Wallace was certainly one of the toughest players around. so he’d know more than most what it took to play back when the league was a little more physical (he was drafted in 1995).
Alas, all we can really do now is appreciate what Bron and KD are doing in this era. No matter how much things have changed, credit has to be given to them for taking advantage of the current state of basketball and dominating the sport.
It might be less physical, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it has gotten easier.
