Golden State Warriors forward Kelly Oubre Jr. joined the Complex Sports Podcast where he dismissed LeBron James and any current player from the ‘greatest of all-time’ conversation, because the game is too soft.
At 25-years-old, Oubre told the podcast hosts Zach Frydenlund, Adam Caparell and Zion Olojede that he grew up watching Kobe Bryant and clips of Michael Jordan, and preferred their physical style of play.
“This game today is a little bit more soft,” Oubre said. “So, to call anybody a GOAT nowadays is disrespectful to the hard-earned awards and accolades that Mike and Kobe have won.”
The game was more physical in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Oubre further explained, noting “it was more fun,” as he compared that era of the NBA to a hockey game.
Basketball fans will unanimously agree, the game was more physical 20 and 30 years ago, but it wasn’t necessarily more fun. I have great memories of watching the Patrick Ewing led Knicks make deep playoff runs in the ‘90s. Those highlights of physical play and fights are fun, but getting through an entire game is difficult when compared to the better athleticism and exceptional long range shooting displayed by teams on a nightly basis today.
Winning a game 72-70 or scoring 66 points in an NBA Finals game were not good for the sport. Now, we’re much more likely to see an individual player score 60 points in an NBA Finals game, than we are an entire team.
It may have been harder to have a long-lasting career in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but that shouldn’t dismiss a player from entering the GOAT conversation today. The next time LeBron James and Kelly Oubre Jr. are on the court together, the game should be interesting.