Charles Barkley made the headlines during his latest appearance on CNN. The 61-year-old sternly claimed on live television that millennials ruined the game of basketball. In the process, Chuck even drew comparisons between today’s NBA and the modern NFL to candidly establish his viewpoint.
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The situation circled a discussion around the rise of high-scoring games in the modern NBA. Initially, the show’s guest Bob Costas shed light on the growing reliance on the three-pointers behind the transformation. He mentioned how it led to changes in defensive and offensive strategies while increasing the average points per game in the league.
Barkley joined in the conversation soon after while elaborating on a similar note. While expressing his standpoint, Chuck used the transformations within the NFL as a reference. He highlighted how the changes impact the outcome of the games while putting the evolution under the limelight.
“These millennials have ruined my game. It has become a three-point shooting contest…It’s kind of similar to what has happened to the NFL. You just gonna throw the ball 30, 40, 50 times a game…I guarantee you there’s a 10 to 15-point difference in scoring from the ’70s and ’80s to the 2020s in football. It’s just the same thing in basketball,” he declared.
Despite the harshness, the statements clearly portrayed the modern NBA. As per Basketball Reference, the teams these days attempt about 34 three-pointers per game compared to about 10 three-pointers in the 1990s. Therefore, the dramatic transformation in the league has resulted in a change in viewers’ perception.
Chuck precisely pointed it out while revealing his frustration with the process. After all, the 1993 MVP had adopted a similar stance on the scenario on numerous occasions.
Charles Barkley refused to change his viewpoint on today’s NBA
The 11x All-Star raised eyebrows six years back, during his appearance on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show. During that time, Barkley expressed his annoyance with the modern generation while describing them as “rich spoiled brats”. Shedding light on the evolution, he outlined how privilege had ruined the ongoing culture within the league.
“This generation man, we give all these kids everything, they don’t appreciate anything…They take rest periods now, guys miss games because they just wanna rest. They fly private jets when I played we flew commercial…God bless these younger players but they’re spoiled rotten,” he mentioned.
Hence, the recent comments served as an extension of Chuck’s frustration toward the modern NBA. His individual preference consequently becomes the driving force behind the judgment while the comments hold an immense amount of truth.
Being a veteran of the league, Barkley’s claim makes sense as he is accustomed to that style of play. However, change is inevitable and the game is ever-evolving. Sooner than later Chuck will have to make his peace with these changes and rejoice in the growth of a younger generation of shooters.
