Back in Magic Johnson’s day, the game was personal. If someone disrespected your teammate, you didn’t just let it slide—you made sure they knew they crossed the line. Handshakes weren’t a given; they were earned. So when the Draymond Green incident went down, you better believe Johnson had something to say.

But what exactly happened? Days ago, Green did what he does best—got inside Karl-Anthony Towns’ head, threw him off his game, and disrupted the flow. “Some would say he didn’t play because Jimmy was in the building. I don’t know,” he even claimed. Fast forward to their latest game, and it was another hard-fought battle. The Warriors won 97-94 against Knicks. But after the buzzer, things took an odd turn. Instead of walking off like warriors of the past, Green went around shaking hands with the Knicks’ players and coaches.

And that’s when the criticism rolled in. Eddie A. Johnson didn’t hold back, calling out, “Shake hands with a guy that called your teammate out and was wrong, especially when he stayed on court to initiate the contact and dared you to ignore him.” He labeled it “The New NBA.”

And we all know Johnson isn’t a fan of this so-called “new NBA.” On Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast, he made it clear. He explained the Showtime Lakers hated Celtics. Green shirts weren’t even allowed in their locker room.

“Well, that’s why it’s disappointing now to see them shaking hands. Boy, but we were talking about this shit earlier, man. That’s why it’s so crazy,” Johnson said.

Byron Scott doubled down. “We didn’t shake no damn hands, we didn’t get no hugs, w won, or we lost, and we walked off the court. We won 90% of the time. But when we lost, we walked off the court. We didn’t shake hands and do all that stuff that these kids do today.”

Johnson couldn’t have agreed more. “No, we don’t, and they wonder why the viewership is down.” And with that, he made his stance crystal clear—the NBA just isn’t what it used to be.

Magic Johnson isn’t feeling the NBA’s friendly vibes

It’s not the first time Magic Johnson has voiced his frustrations with today’s NBA. Appearing on Speak, he didn’t hold back on how things have changed.

“The Celtics, Lakers hate each other, disliked each other. So it made for great TV and people tuning in,” Johnson explained. But now? “Everybody’s shaking each other’s hand. Uh, everybody like each other. It won’t go at each other like really hard.” That fire, that edge—it’s just not the same.

And it’s not just about rivalries. Johnson also pointed to the lack of intensity between the Eastern and Western conferences. “Even that’s what happened to the All-Star Game. See, we hated the East, right? I’m coming to bust you,” he said. Back then, it wasn’t just a flashy exhibition—it was a battle.

For Johnson, this softer approach is one of the reasons the NBA is struggling to keep fans engaged. “That’s what it’s got to get back to … the number of viewerships are going down, and these guys better wake up.”

Without that competitive fire, people just aren’t tuning in like they used to. So what do you think? Has the NBA lost its edge, or is this just the evolution of the game?