During his latest appearance on ‘First Take’, Austin Rivers recently expressed his shock over LeBron James‘ omission of Michael Jordan from the list of the ‘most influential’ players. The former NBA player was shocked at the 4-time NBA champion’s selection. Following that, the 31-year-old elaborated on his stance while justifying his belief.
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The situation arose in the first episode of ‘Mind the Game‘ podcast where James discussed the matter with his co-host JJ Redick. The panelists outlined Stephen Curry and Allen Iverson as two of the most influential NBA players. They highlighted how the gameplay and contributions of the iconic guards irreversibly impacted the league to establish their viewpoint.
The statements received a mixed reaction from Rivers as the panelists left Jordan out of the conversation. He initially admitted the impact of Curry and Iverson on the culture and display of the modern game. However, the California-born emphasized the uniqueness of MJ, shedding light on his legacy in the NBA.
“If we are talking historically, it starts and ends with Michael Jordan. I think we’re quick to just forget about what he has done for the game. It was interesting to hear LeBron on that podcast with JJ talk about the most influential and not named MJ considering this guy still outsells anybody in today’s sneaker sales for a reason. He is the most iconic player to ever play the game,” Rivers mentioned.
Amidst the unprecedented call-out, the words contained a certain truth as Jordan disrupted the league with his dominance in the late 1980s and 1990s. His influence ushered in a new era as it impacted the likes of Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and others. These iconic figures in turn have motivated the current generation of stars to thrive and aspire.
Thus, despite being a subjective conversation, Rivers shed light on a key area of the NBA’s evolution. Interestingly, Stephen A. Smith joined the discussion soon after, adding another layer.
Stephen A. Smith puts Curry at the forefront
The sports analyst applauded the breakdown from Rivers while siding with his perspective. Smith admitted the impact of MJ on the game without skipping a heartbeat. However, in terms of impacting the modern game, the 56-year-old put Curry ahead of everyone else.
“The biggest influence on NBA today is Steph Curry…You have never seen people jack up threes before the way they are jacking up threes now…We have never seen people as reliant on long-range bombs the way that they are now because of Steph Curry and that’s on every level,” he mentioned.
This also shed light on the solidified legacy of Curry in the game as his shooting range changed the perception. Yet, the opinions on the topic continue to vary depending on viewers’ preferences. Hence, the conversation surrounding this remains an exciting one because of its open-ended nature.
