LeBron James opens up about how modern NBA basketball is so much different and more challenging from the ‘80s and ‘90s. He shares that the way the sport is played and the risk of different types of injuries each athlete is prone to makes it harder to play an 82-game tournament.
LeBron James on how modern basketball is tougher than it was in ’80s and ’90s
LeBron James recently invited Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton onto his podcast, Mind the Game. During their conversation, the two discussed how the sport has evolved over the years.
The LA Lakers star said, “The game is different. I want people and our fans to understand that playing 82 games in the ‘80s and ‘90s is not the same as playing 82 games in the 2020s. It’s just not.”
The 4-time NBA champion explained that today’s players need to move at a faster pace and with greater speed. As a result, many athletes are prone to soft-tissue injuries. He added that he hopes that injuries like that become easier to treat.
The NBA All-Star then player went on to explain that when he started playing, the biggest concern was a high ankle sprain. He said that an injury like that was often caused by just stepping on another player’s foot, given how crowded the paint used to be.
Using examples like himself, Tracy McGrady, and Vince Carter, LeBron James said that they had to constantly adapt to the opposing team’s positioning in the arena. They did so because of the fear that if they stepped on somebody’s ankle and suffered a sprain, it could sideline them for four to six weeks.
However, he pointed out that since today’s game is more spaced out, those kinds of injuries have become rare. “But now you see the new high ankle sprain is the calf, right? Hopefully, we can get a handle on that from a medical standpoint,” James noted.
He concluded by saying, “I just want the fans to understand that the game is a little different. As NBA players, we definitely want to be out there as much as possible.”
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on Mandatory.
