The NBA’s long history cannot be told without the wild cards that made it great. For decades, especially in the 80s and 90s, some crazed individuals played this game. Guys that 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 character shift is completely different.
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A big reason for the change is because of the NBA itself. The league tried to crack down on the outlaws who make the game great 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.
This was the topic of discussion between 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 induced players of the 80s or the adrenaline junkie players of the 90s. What’s the biggest difference? 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 hard 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,” stated 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.”
Again, Arenas is 100% 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 current social landscape of 2025.
Ja 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 2025.
Honestl,y it’s a little sad. Draymond Green is probably the biggest outlaw in the game, yet he has a podcast on the regular that explains his narrative. He’s like a cowboy with training wheels on. An all-time great defender? Absolutely. But is he as unhinged as any of the Bad Boy Pistons? Not even close.
