The NBA’s long history is incomplete without the wild cards that made it great. For years, especially in the 1980s and ’90s, some colorful characters played this game. Guys who could have just as easily been a Bond villain were in the starting lineup. Guys who partied from sunrise to sunset were coming off the bench. People still play basketball in the NBA in 2025, but the shift in player persona is evident.
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A big reason for the change is because of the league itself. The NBA tried to crack down on the outlaws who make the game vibrant because it might have insulted their sponsors.
Allen Iverson was a huge influence on young ballers everywhere, but his tattoos and hairstyle made others scoff. Dennis Rodman became a global star due to his distinctive appearance. Now, piercings like the ones that The Worm sported are unheard of among players. This was discussed by Joy Taylor and Gilbert Arenas on the latest edition of the Two Personal Show.
The three-time NBA All-Star tried to explain how much “smarter” the players of this generation are than the cocaine-fueled players of the 1980s or the adrenaline junkies of the ’90s. What has led to the transformation? Well, money.
“Once the money kicked in at another level, I think some of the guys started being smarter. There’s no more Dennis Rodmans. There’s no guy out there getting drunk 24 hours. There’s no big chains wearing down,” stated Arenas.
To be honest, he’s right. NBA players are making more cheddar now than any other athletes in professional sports. Why would they want to compromise that just for a moment of glory or an opportunity to look tough in front of the boys?
Taylor and Gil joked that today’s era of players barely even like to go out. “These guys are smarter about how they move. They blend in. They’re not flashy,” said Arenas after Taylor joked that they’re probably just at home playing video games.
To further drive home his point, Arenas looked at two of the most popular NBA players in the world: LeBron James and Steph Curry.
“It’s very hard to be LeBron James, Steph Curry. That is very hard. You have to have a very smart team around you from 1-5. Everything has to be aligned with the same thing because it only takes one thing to get in trouble,” said Gil.
Again, Arenas is right. In this day and age, when everyone has a camera on their phone, it’s very easy to get into trouble. Even if you weren’t doing anything wrong.
It’s the power of the phone mixed with the power of influence. Add in a little misinformation and a ton of pettiness, and what you have is the prevalent social media landscape of 2025. Ja Morant would attest to this. Morant was, and still is, heavily criticized for sharing a social media video flashing a gun.
It’s a different world now. Of course, it’s fun to think back about how wild Rodman or Vernon Maxwell, or Ron Artest were. But those guys cannot exist in the 2025 iteration of the league.
Honestly, it’s a bit sad. Draymond Green is arguably the biggest outlaw in the game, yet he has a podcast that explains his narrative. He’s like a cowboy with training wheels on.
An all-time great defender? Absolutely. But is Green as unhinged as any of the Bad Boy Pistons? Not even close.
