NBA
Scottie Pippen Admits That the Modern NBA Is ‘a Tougher Era' Than His Day
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sports7 in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sports7, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterUpdated11 Jul 2022
For better or worse, the world of sports can have a bit of a “back in my day” mentality. Fans and players alike will usually insist that things were tougher years ago. The modern game, it seems, has gotten soft. Scottie Pippen, however, has a different perspective.
While watching his son play in the NBA Summer League, Pip donned a headset and joined the ESPN broadcast. There, he admitted the seemingly unthinkable: Today's NBA is tougher than it was during the 1990s.
Scottie Pippen acknowledges how tough it is to thrive in modern basketball
While he's sometimes remembered as little more than Michael Jordan's sidekick, Scottie Pippen proved to be a capable player on the NBA hardwood. The do-it-all forward, however, is still impressed by the realities of modern basketball.
During a July 10 game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets, Pip briefly joined the ESPN broadcast. During his time in the booth, he was asked if “players today are better than players in [his] time period, as far as total package.” While most former pros would insist that things have gotten easier over the years, Pip took a more humble approach.
“I would say yes,” he explained. “I think that, you know, watching these players, the stamina, just the pace of the game. This is a tough game. I mean to keep up with this pace, and you gotta be able to make shots. So, if you're not making shots, you're gonna be sitting over there with the coach. So, I think this is a tougher era to be successful in because you need to be able to shoot the basketball. And, bottom line, there's guys that can get to the hole, create opportunities, but guys who shoot the basketball from range are much more valuable in today's game.”
While there's plenty of validity to what Pippen is saying — consider how three-point shooting and overall shot selection have evolved within the past 10 years, let alone the past 30 — the most jarring part is simply hearing him admit that another era of basketball is tougher than his. Michael Jordan, for example, said that only four modern players could have thrived back in his day. Shaquille O'Neal, similarly, said that modern basketball only has four legitimate superstars.
Although he's made some questionable claims in recent years, Pip deserves some credit here. It certainly takes some humility and perspective to admit when you aren't the best.
Maybe years of playing second fiddle to MJ taught him that lesson.
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RELATED: Scotty Pippen Jr. Admits Dad, Scottie Pippen, Can No Longer Hang on the Court: ‘He’d Fake Injuries’
