On the latest episode of The Mark Jackson Show, Mark Jackson and his son Bluu spoke about multiple NBA topics for almost 40 minutes. The “We Done with the 90s” trend was one of the topics that came up during the conversation between the father-son duo. While debating the social media trend, the two had a testy back-and-forth, arguing over whether Michael Jordan had any flaws or not.
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Over the past few weeks, social media users have been sharing Michael Jordan lowlights, comparing the 90s to the modern NBA. Because the Chicago Bulls legend seemed to struggle a bit going left, young social media users have tried to uphold the notion that the modern NBA is significantly more skilled and competitive than MJ’s era. Replying to all the naysayers who began this trend, Mark Jackson emphatically declared that Jordan had no flaws. Jackson, who played in the NBA in the 1990s, went on a passionate rant explaining how the 6ft 6” shooting guard could do everything on the hardwood.
“Michael Jeffery Jordan had 0 flaws on the basketball court. He can go right, he can go left, he can shoot the mid-range, he can shoot the three, he can finish at the rim, he can finish in traffic. You try to beat him up, he’s going to get up and respond. He was an elite defender. He had no flaws as a basketball player. So save your take and don’t let it lie to you,” Jackson said.
Mark’s son had quite a sensible response to this. Bluu mentioned how MJ didn’t receive the same flack as Kobe Bryant for hogging the ball because the myth of perfection around his name protected him. Further, trying to refute his father, Bluu mentioned that every single player, irrespective of their greatness, had some shortcomings in their game.
“I respect Michael Jordan, but the dude had flaws…And Michael Jordan, every time he stepped on the court, wasn’t the best player every single time,” Bluu said.
After the 1989 NBA All-Star chuckled in disagreement at his son’s take, Bluu went on to reinforce the trend. By saying that the defense and effort in the 1980s and 1990s were “lackluster”, he claimed that the modern era is superior. “I am watching these 90s and 80s games, the defense was lackluster at times, the effort was lackluster at times, it looked like somebody was drinking a Henny bottle on the bench… I kind of with the trend, man,” Bluu added.
While it is nearly impossible to compare eras, Bluu did make some great points about every player having some flaws. Unlike what Mark Jackson claims, MJ was not a good long-distance shooter by modern standards, having a 32.7% three-point shooting percentage across his career. However, Jackson would obviously find it difficult to accept that MJ had any major flaws. Because as he himself admitted, Jordan was the reason he never won a Championship ring.
Despite being a Michael Jordan fan, Shaquille O’Neal understands why social media began the trend
Shaquille O’Neal is one of many Michael Jordan admirers. Despite Jordan being one of his idols, Shaq understands why social media users began this narrative about the modern NBA being significantly better than the 1990s. According to Shaq, it is only natural for fans to be amused by the current era. Using himself as an example, the Big Aristotle honestly stated that he wasn’t impressed seeing the highlights of the legends who played before him.
“It’s cute, but it’s natural… They always compare me to Will Chamberlain, and I’m looking at his ’70s highlights like, I would have killed this guy. So it’s just, you know, normal stuff like the stuff that we see in 2024 is way more advanced than the stuff we see in the ’90s,” Shaq said to Yahoo! Sports’ Vincent Goodwill.
Shaq comes off as quite humble and honest, defending the social media trend despite being a prominent figure from the 1990s. However, with the game advancing at a rapid pace, the league has become much more entertaining than ever before. With players continuously evolving their game, it isn’t illogical to assume that the coming eras will be more enjoyable than the 2020s.
