“LeBron’s Not Playing Steph Curry, He’s Playing Michael Jordan”: Former Executive Blasts NBA Community for a Peculiar Reason

The NBA witnessed one of its most fierce rivalries in the late 2010s. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors faced off in 4 consecutive NBA Finals, proving that their Finals matchup was inevitable at the time. Both teams were also led by two of the most influential players in NBA history, LeBron James and Stephen Curry respectively.

LeBron James has had the fiercest of rivalries with the Warriors guard, Stephen Curry over the years. However, The King shares a more intense rivalry with the Chicago Bulls legend, Michael Jordan. The two have been pitted against each other in the GOAT debate for several years now. However, the two NBA legends have never played against each other in the league. Despite retiring more than 20 years ago, Jordan and his era of basketball are hailed to this day by NBA fans. This narrative recently received strong criticism from a former NBA executive.

Ex-executive reckons Curry-James era receives no love

Michael Jordan is undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever play the game. The 5 time MVP led one of the most glorious rosters in NBA history to 6 championships, cementing his place in the Hall of Fame. As one of the most gifted athletes in basketball, Jordan became the face of the league in the 1990s. His dominant run in the NBA is talked about to this day, maybe a little too much to Amin Elhassan’s liking.

In a recent podcast appearance, former executive, Elhassan talked about the glorification of the earlier eras of basketball. “We’re the only sport that continuously s**ts on the current product and says everything was better 20 years ago,” he strongly claimed.

He further added, “We all kind of accept that the modern version of this is the best version…..our sport for whatever reason, lives constantly in the past. Our players constantly fight ghosts, LeBron’s not playing Steph Curry, he’s playing Michael Jordan.”

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However, Elhassan also revealed the remedy to keep this narrative in check. “You do need like a breath of positivity in it. From that standpoint….our overall perception of the game can be colored by the people who are bringing it to us…” he said.

Elhassan had his say about the narrative surrounding the previous eras. However, what has changed in the modern NBA since those eras?

The NBA has experienced a major change

The NBA witnessed an unbelievable shift in the game in recent years. The rules, in-game strategies, media attention as well as team building have drastically changed over the years. Much of this can be credited to the arrival of Stephen Curry and LeBron James in the league.

LeBron James came into the league as the most hyped prospect out of high school. Deemed “The Chosen One” before even entering the league, James changed the way media perceived draft prospects. However, he made yet another significant contribution to the change of the league in just his 7th year.

The King made a groundbreaking decision to take his talents to the Miami Heat back in 2010. This decision played a major role in giving players the control of whom they want to represent. It also set off the trend of ring chasing by forming superteams, which has been prevalent to this day.

Stephen Curry too had an unprecedented impact on changing the way the NBA offense operates. His unparalleled three point shooting influenced the entire league to adopt the strategy of using three pointers as the primary offensive option. The advent of this strategy has defined the stark difference from the previous eras of basketball.

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The eras of the past get glorified for their slower pace, intensity and loyalty of players. However, the new era packs its own punch. Curry and James may served as great catalysts for the change but it has gradually happened on its own.