Gilbert Arenas Makes Controversial Statement Why NBA’s Physicality Changed
Over the past decade or more, the NBA has drastically changed when it comes to style of play and the physicality of the game, with teams and players leaning toward offenses centered around three-point shooting and rules favoring the offense, resulting in defense taking a backseat.
It seems as though the game is entirely different from what it used to be when Michael Jordan was in his prime, followed by Kobe Bryant taking over the mantle as the face of the NBA.
The league embraced the three-point shooting era and made it incredibly tough for players to play defense efficiently, which could be something that might change because the NBA doesn’t seem to like the direction things are going.
Interestingly enough, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas has a theory about why things have changed so drastically in the league when it comes to physicality and style.
On an episode of “Gil’s Arena,” Arenas gave an interesting take about the game changing, as he believes it was to make it a more global sport with international players being able to play in the NBA, via Legion Hoops.
“The NBA took away aggression to open up the Euro league,” Arenas said. “When they first started getting here, it was too rough for them, and they didn’t make it. So eventually they softened the rules to open up international.”
Gilbert Arenas on why the NBA’s style and physicality changed:
“The NBA took away aggression to open up the Euro league. When they first started getting here, it was too rough for them and they didn’t make it. So eventually they softened the rules to open up international.”… pic.twitter.com/B5kDYOMvfn
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 1, 2024
Although it initially seems like another wild take by Arenas, as he seems to come up with new ones on a weekly basis these days, he might be on to something as the sport has grown exceptionally on an international level over the past couple of decades.
International players now dominate the league, as it could be argued the top players in the game are all from international roots, like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid.
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