(Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards recently made some headlines when he claimed that Michael Jordan was the only player in the 1990s who had any real basketball skills.
It has sparked some debate about the true level of competition during a time that many think was the golden era of basketball.
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas threw some gasoline into the debate when he claimed that Jordan was the only elite athlete in the league back then.
Arenas even made an interesting car analogy to drive home his point.
“All of Jordan’s competition in that era did not even have the physical tools to keep up with him,” Arenas said, via NBACentral. “So he was basically a Bugatti, and everybody else was a Honda Civic.”
Gilbert Arenas believes MJ was the only elite athlete of his era
“All of Jordan’s competition in that era did not even have the physical tools to keep up with him. So he was basically a Bugatti,and everybody else was a Honda Civic.”
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 27, 2024
In debates about the NBA of the 1990s, there is a good deal of hyperbole on both sides.
There are many who believe it was an era when the game was played the right way, when defense was a focus and players were in the league for the love of the game and wanted to compete against each other.
In reality, when looking back, the defenses of that era seem better because teams played at a much slower pace than they do today, and there was plenty of egotism and selfishness when it came to players wanting to make big bucks.
Others put forth claims similar to the ones Edwards and Arenas are making about the level of competition.
The level of athleticism and skill in the 1990s arguably was lower than it is today, and it wasn’t until the end of the decade that taller and more athletically gifted wings started to enter the league.
But Jordan, who is still considered by many to be the greatest NBA player of all time, would likely have been just as great if he were playing today.
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