For years, and I do mean Years, there’s been a lot of negative comments about today’s NBA and, particularly, the players. I understand the old school mentality and the obsession with “Back in the day”. Don’t get me wrong, I feel the same way about hip hop. I miss the old-school hip hop and what it meant. But I know it’s a new sound, and I chose not to listen to it because it doesn’t relate to how I’m feeling these days. Do I constantly bash it daily? Yes, my hypocritical ass isn’t gonna lie. But at the same time, as I said, I simply choose not to listen to it. Now, as for the NBA, it is full of talented players and arguably the best talent this league has seen in decades. Unfortunately, it isn’t appreciated by the former players who paved the way for this new generation. Relax, this isn’t a LeBron James and company propaganda blog. So all y’all Boomers, Gen X, and even Millennials who’ve been brainwashed or just following what the next man says. You rarely see any self-hate from former NFL players against today’s NFL players, and the same goes for former MLB players against their own, even during the steroid era.
I get it, people missed the glory days of players like Kurt Rambis getting closedlined in the air, the infamous 1998 Miami Heat, New York Knicks brawl, etc. Folks are still stuck on that time period, stuck on the Celtics and Lakers’ 80s rivalry, and just simply have a hard time letting that go. Has the NBA gone a little friendly? Yeah, you can say that. Oh no, Jonathan, you’re wrong. The league has gone super duper soft smh Like, really? Come on, y’all, it’s a new era. These players are businessmen with families, and they still go out and compete. In fact, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is doing a good job, in my opinion, staying out of players’ and organizations’ way. Of course, if there’s action that he needs to take, then he’ll do it, but other than that, he’s letting the game go as it is. In fact, he’s doing a better job than the late former commissioner David Stern. Yes, Stern helped market the league and make it a household name by marketing players *cough Michael Jordan.. And I understand that 98.7% of people think Michael Jordan is the G.O.A.T and everyone else is just, well, normal human beings. Saying anything negative or questioning Jordan will result in being laughed at, kicked out of the family, or even fired from your job. Yeah, that seems a bit over the top and sarcastic. But the reality is that people are stuck in his era. In a recent interview, Jordan was asked about being in the GOAT discussion. He respectfully shut down that narrative that has been pushed by the sports media for decades. He says it’s basically an insult to not only current players but players before his time, like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, etc. And he’s correct. But No, No, No! Even Jordan fans wanna argue with Michael Jordan himself, calling the GOAT’s shutdown blasphemy. I saw Stephen A Smith of ESPN on First Take upset with Michael Jordan’s rare humbleness.
It’s at a point where it’s exhausting to see and hear former players and these so-called sports experts bash the current players today, instead of appreciating the fact that they are making basketball even more popular globally. Former head coach, now NBA on Prime commentator, Stan Van Gundy, at times, is hard to listen to because he throws so much shade during a live game. I don’t think the viewers want to be constantly reminded of how “If this were back in the day, they would’ve never called that foul. The refs are taking too long to review that play, it wasn’t that bad of a foul.“etc. Everyone has an opinion, and he’s free to say how he feels, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his colleagues say to him privately that it’s getting repetitive. Do I miss the glory days watching players like Allen Iverson, Tim Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Nick Van Exel, Penny Hardaway, etc., absolutely! But I also enjoy the current players today due to their athleticism and the ability to change the game. There was a time when international players were the last pick of the draft and often only picked just to fill the roster. Times have definitely changed because now the majority of these international -born players are all-stars or playing like all-stars at best. I remember watching the 2015 NBA draft when the New York Knicks selected Kristaps Porziņģis. The fans booed him. As he was hearing the boes during the interview, he made a bold statement saying that he was “different.” And he was well aware of the stigma when it comes to international players, mainly from Europe, entering the league. Prior to him being drafted their been a lot of players overseas who became what the experts called “draft busts.” Kristaps from that point on proved that a new era was coming. These international players today, like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Nikola Jokic, etc. Are all arguably within the top 10-15 best players of the league. And I know I left out a lot of players, but you get my point. There are too many to list. Also, so many good players get left off the All-Star selection because they can only add so many players.
On March 10, 2026, Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo scored not only his career high, but the 2nd most points ever scored in an NBA game against the Washington Wizards. 83 points, which surpassed the late great Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. There has been a lot of hate towards Bam Adebayo after that, and it’s primarily from Lakers fans, which you can understand. But once again, the hate also came from former players and sports analysts. They criticized his shot selections and, most importantly, the team he did it against. People failed to mention or forgot that Kobe’s 81 points were against a bad team as well. It was a privilege to watch that game live, and I saw how his teammates were feeding Kobe the ball so he could score as much as he could. It was an amazing performance, just like Bam Adebayo. The following day, I said to myself, just imagine if LeBron James had done that? He would’ve received nothing but death threats. He’s already hated for the fact that people mentioned his name along with Michael Jordan. I’m gonna say this now, and hopefully the readers will revisit this blog years later. People will miss LeBron James when he retires. I will say 2 years out of the league, people will look back and be like “damn, Lebron is really gone.” That’s when the appreciation will come in. A lot of people didn’t like Kobe Bryant during his playing days till the end of his career, and then when he retired. That’s when people who weren’t fans of his looked back and appreciated what he brought to the game.
Overall, this hate for today’s players should stop. If you’re really a fan of basketball, you should appreciate the talent you are paying to see. So much talent today that you can’t guarantee a team will not only go to the finals, but win it.
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