Back In The Day NBA

Kevin Durant Defends NBA 3-Point Shooting By Questioning 1990s Shot Selection

Shandel Richardson

Dec 27, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) during the second quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 27, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) during the second quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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NBA superstar Kevin Durant recently decided to come to his era's defense.

Lately, there is plenty criticism about the league relying too heavily on the 3-point line. So Durant used the Back In The Day era to defend today's game.

Here's what he posted on X a few days ago: "In the 90s they took bad midrange jump shots all game lol nobody cared."

The subject again hit the forefront last week when the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls combined to shoot 108 3-pointers. It caught the attention of the Inside The NBA crew on TNT, especially Charles Barkley.




"If you're just going to come out and have a 3-point shooting contest every night," Barkley pondered. "It's a copycat league. These coaches, they see other people doing. They're scared to coach these teams."

Barkley has a point because teams are taking a lot of 3-pointers. But so is Durant because there were plenty of bad shots back in the `90s.

BARKLEY CALLS OUT FAN VOTE

Barkley made 11 All-Star appearances during his career but never criticized the fan vote.

Now, Barkley seems to have a problem with fans being part of the process. He recently said it lessens the honor because of their presence.

"One of the reason I hate the All-Star situation is the fans don't pay attention," Barkley said during an Inside The NBA on TNT segment. "They just vote for household names."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com