‘Old heads’ like Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal often like to talk about how much harder they had it in their heyday. One of their frequent talking points is the difference in physicality between today’s whistle-heavy NBA and that of the 1990s and earlier, when enforcers tended to get away with more roughhousing.
Some have even gone as far as to say that some of the very best NBA players today wouldn’t stand a chance if they’d entered a time capsule and played during the ’90s. Barkley is one of them.
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Charles Barkley Claimed Stephen Curry Wouldn’t Thrive in the ’90s NBA
Barkley has made several controversial comments over the years. Sometimes, he has a hot take that gets people talking. That’s what we could classify his latest words as.
In June 2023, while appearing on the “New Heights” podcast alongside NFL stars Jason and Travis Kelce, Barkley suggested that Stephen Curry wouldn’t be able to withstand the punishment players before him took.
“I love Steph Curry, but if anybody with a shred of common sense tells me Steph could’ve taken the licks Michael [Jordan] was taking, come on, man,” Barkley said.
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“Not just the body blows, but the hand-checking, where you could hold a guy and he couldn’t move. If Steph got hit like Michael was getting hit, he’d get broken in half. That’s just a fact.”
Suggesting that Curry would be “broken in half” from a singular hit is a bit dramatic, considering that his dad, Dell Curry, did play in Barkley’s era.
Nevertheless, Barkley’s overall point is that NBA players in his era were typically allowed to be more physical without being called for fouls. He’s not wrong. But it’s not like Curry doesn’t get fouled either, sometimes brutally.
Who knows? Would Curry, who’s undoubtedly one of the best players of all time, not be able to adjust and thrive in previous eras?
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While debates over how the Warriors’ superstar is officiated rage on, Curry revealed he remains more focused on his game.
“Conversations that I don’t need to be a part of. I play basketball; figure it out as I go,” Curry said earlier this month. “I try my best not to complain out there on the court and just figure out whatever the challenge is. That’s my mindset.”
We’ll never know, but the four-time NBA champion sure is incredible at playing regardless of how the league is officiated today, and that’s all that matters.
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