Throughout the history of the NBA, there have been many individual talents who have brought countless skills and personal areas of expertise to the game. These players are not limited to one era, but have been around since the league’s inception in 1947, long before the Minnesota Timberwolves were formed.
Yes, contrary to what some modern media outlets might tell you, there have always been talented and skilled players in this league. After studying the history of the game, it is clear that many unique individuals have impacted the game in their own way, changing the course of basketball history.
Now, does every basketball fan have to be a huge history buff? Not necessarily. But ignoring history altogether is another story. Doing so can lead you to make somewhat questionable statements like the one Anthony Edwards recently made in a speech with the Wall Street Journal.
Asked about the differences between the modern era of basketball and past eras, Edwards had plenty to say. “I didn’t watch the games back then, so I can’t speak to that,” he said. “They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had that talent back then.” [Michael Jordan] was the only one who really had talent, you know what I mean? That’s why when they saw Kobe [Bryant]They were like, “Oh, my God.” But now, everyone has skills.
Today, we can say that today’s players are more skilled than they were 50 years ago. The introduction of rigorous training routines, modern training facilities and resources, combined with a cutting-edge diet, will naturally produce this kind of result. But to say that players of the past had no skills at all is simply wrong.
It is generally accepted that Michael Jordan was the most dominant player of a generation, if not the greatest of all time. But the fact that he was so far above his peers should not be used to diminish his competition or that of the league at the time as a whole.
These kinds of statements are becoming increasingly popular among younger fans, and I think it’s important for the NBA community to question the legitimacy of such controversial claims. We can always debate whether one era was better or more talented than another, but denigrating one player or era to build up another is not how we should want to see the popularity of the sport grow.
