Last month, Anthony Edwards caused controversy after claiming that Michael Jordan was the only skilled player during the 1990s. Kevin Garnett responded by downplaying the take and adding fuel to the fire by claiming that current NBA players wouldn’t have survived in the previous eras due to the league’s physicality. However, Stephen A. Smith agrees with neither, especially the Hall of Famer.
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On the Stephen A. Smith Show, the veteran analyst called out Garnett for his comments. He said a superstar as accomplished as him shouldn’t attack an entire generation to take a jibe at one player. He said,
“Let me tell you what pissed me off. I shouldn’t say pissed off but I kinda felt a little pissed off at KG for this one thing. You ain’t got to qualify how much love you got for the young brother and y’all podcast, ain’t here to hurt nobody. Bro, you a Hall of Famer and champion… Say what you want to say as long as you ain’t attacking but you can attack what they said.”
Smith then addressed Garnett’s statement that modern-day players wouldn’t be as effective in previous eras. He vehemently disagreed with this perspective. He admitted that the rules around traveling are much more flexible in the modern age and conceded that a player like Stephen Curry, who entered the league with ankle issues, would have struggled to thrive in those eras.
However, Smith argued that modern-day greats like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, and even sharpshooters like the Warriors guard could have been All-Star level players back in the day. He said,
“You can’t tell me that a LeBron at 6’9″ 260 [pounds] couldn’t deal with the physicality of the old days because he would’ve been hurting people… Russell Westbrook would have been off the chain…Kevin Durant any era, he’s 6’11” with a handle and a J. Steph Curry could’ve played in the old days because you just don’t teach shooting ability like that.”
The veteran analyst is flummoxed about modern-day players and the older generation talking down on each other’s era. He had called out Edwards for claiming there weren’t any skilled players besides Jordan during his reign as the league’s best player.
Smith has repeatedly argued that every era of the NBA was unique and had its quirks. He doesn’t believe the notion that one is significantly better than the other. However, every player thinks theirs was the hardest era to play in and feels the need to talk down on others.
