Back In The Day NBA

NBA Fans Defend Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain On Post Meant To Bash Past Eras

Shandel Richardson

Unknown date; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Los Angeles Lakers center Wilt Chamberlain (13) battles for a rebound in front of Boston Celtics center Bill Russell (6) at the Forum. Mandatory Credit: Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images
Unknown date; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Los Angeles Lakers center Wilt Chamberlain (13) battles for a rebound in front of Boston Celtics center Bill Russell (6) at the Forum. Mandatory Credit: Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images / Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images
In this story:

It seems today's NBA fan are about refusing to pay tribute to the greats of the past.

There is the "We Done With Da 90s" movement that puts down older players. Then there are those who say LeBron James is superior to Michael Jordan. And those who feel Steph Curry would dominate the 1980s.

A recent social media post by Overtime on X was meant to show the difference in today's NBA from the past. The clip featured a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics that included Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Elgin Baylor.

The post was captioned with: "Sorry but LeBron averaging 70 20 and 15."

While some laughed, it led to several fans criticizing the post.

One user wrote: "You do know you could lift up your “King” by not tearing down the legends that helped lay the foundation of the game we love…. Right?"

Here's what one fan wrote: "Does this make you feel better or give you a feeling of superiority? The past paved the way for the future… Elgin was born in 1934. LeBron was born in 1984.. 50 years later the modern play should be better if they weren’t the game is in a bad place…"

Some viewed it as a sign of disrespect to the pioneers of the league. One fan wrote: "We don’t have enough respect for the game. We carry, travel, double dribble, gather step and set moving screens w/o a call then go back and call our pioneers trash. Despicable."

One user pointed out how players in the past hustled more. They played for far less money, giving them more incentive. The post read: "these cats still have more hustle than Bron does. He would still get out rebounded, play no D and be on the other end of the court flopping like a fish waiting for a foul. Bron wouldn't even score 50 playing this style, he has no fundamentals."

While most of today's generation feels this way, it's a breath of fresh air to see some still have love for the NBA founders.

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

Follow our updates on Facebook

X: @BackInTheDayNBA

Published
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