Former L.A. Lakers Byron Scott and Derek Fisher shared some laughs while criticizing the style of play that the NBA encourages today.
The two championship players and former NBA coaches went in on the subject during a recent episode of Scott’s “Fastbreak” podcast.
When Fisher was asked about the difference between the NBA today and the one he played in for 18 seasons, the five-time NBA champion compared the NBA in its present state to the largest sports entertainment promotion in the world.
Derek Fisher Says NBA Is Like WWE Now
“Remember when the WWE was the WWF?” D-Fish asked. I don’t know if anybody remembers that. But there was a time when the WWE was the 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.”
Fisher’s point was that the old WWF seemed a bit less focused on the glitter and purely entertainment.
We get Fish’s point, but just for clarity, the World Wrestling Federation changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment because of a dispute with the World Wildlife Fund for the WWF trademark.
It had nothing to do with an increased focus on entertainment, because we know that wrestling has always been fake. Back then, it was a dirty secret. Now everyone knows so the authentic athletic value of the sport has been diminished, although wrestlers are some of the best conditioned, toughest and athletic people in existence.
Fishers point is still well taken because any wrestling fan can surmise that the WWE today seems hyper focused on aesthetics, storylines and social media branding rather than the brute force and mindblowing feats that made the WWF a hit during the ’80s and ’90s.
D Fish Says NBA Is Entertainment More Than Competition
Which is a perception that NBA fans can relate to.
Many fans of the ’80s and ’90s and plenty of the league’s OGs often rant about the NBA game becoming soft and less intense of because of rule changes that were made to enhance, facilitate and promote scoring.
Naturally it’s much easier to score these days, even if the players are allegedly better skilled and more athletic than years ago, as some Gen Z pundits love to mention.
Most of the rules changes in the NBA have been focused on eliminating physical contact which allows the offensive player more freedom and easier paths to the bucket.
The lack of physicality has been an ongoing theme that advocates of the old-school NBA, including D-Fish, point to as proof that the NBA is a league more concerned with entertainment and big salaries than competition.
“All the pro sports to some degree, not just the NBA, even the NFL,” added Fisher. “You listen to guys that played before, 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.”
Rasheed Wallace Says Today’s NBA Is Soft, Blames Refs, League and Players
Rasheed Wallace is another former NBA champion and OG who was known for his physical play, extraordinary defense and borderline dirty tactics. He also is probably a Top 10 all-time most hated player by referees in the history of the league.
Wallace (317) trails just Karl Malone (332) and Charles Barkley (329) In terms of career technical fouls.
Like Fisher, 2004 NBA champ thinks that the current NBA generation’s style of play has affected the quality of basketball played around the league, and Sheed blames the league for promoting it but also says the players and referees should be blamed for the questionable evolution of the game.
Back in February on an episode of the “Underdog NBA” podcast, Wallace explained:
“The softness. It’s one thing where you want to be an offensive league with scoring, that’s fine. It’s just the softness with some of these rules and damn referees where the people are there to see them. Nobody came there to see y’all except the two people you gave your tickets to. Definitely bring back hand check, that forearm shiver so that way cats can’t just flow so easily through that paint. You’ve got to make it somewhat tougher because right now look at it. Sh*t, look at it. It’s a gimmick.”
Sheed isn’t lying, but generalizing every current player — who only play by the rules enforced — as soft is a bit harsh.
The WNBA actually has a more physical brand of hoops than the NBA, but then again, the league has only been around 28 years and is just getting popular in mainstream sports, so there‘s time.
The one rule that most old school players refer to is handchecking. It empowered a good defender and allowed some minimal contact.
With the arrival of Mr. Sensitivity, Adam Silver, who wasn’t a big fan of the physical play that defined the league in the ’80s and ’90s, the NBA continues to change and look much different than your father’s NBA.
The WWE-style of hoops only seems to be growing with the game becoming a perimeter sport with everyone chucking three-pointers, less and less physical post play, quicker techs and ejections, and more rookies focused on their brand than earning a permanent spot in the league.
The old heads are always going to criticize the younger generation, especially when the young cats try to diminish the skill and talent of their predecessors.
This is something Fisher, who also coached the L.A. Sparks and New York Knicks, will have to deal with.
