Retired NBA Star Rasheed Wallace Says He Would Dominate Today's Game
Retired NBA players have often given little respect to today's generation.
They tend to say the game was better back in their day. So it was no surprise to hear former All-Star Rasheed Wallace's take on the current state of the league.
Wallace, who was drafted in 1995, was a four-time All-Star during his career. He averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in 16 seasons. He won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, defeating the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal-led Los Angeles Lakers.
During an appearance on the "Underdog NBA" podcast, he said his numbers in today's game would be a "substantial" improvement from when he starred in the 1990s and 2000s.
'If I was playing in the league today, I would bust a lot of these (expletive)," Wallace said. "Because they're not [playing] both sides of the ball. They don't have it today. They're all about offense, ain't nobody gonna move. We're all shooting threes."
Wallace also based his claims on the rule changes. He followed the popular narrative of the game being more physical back then.
"Well, are you playing by this rules or that rules," Wallace said. "For me, it don't matter the rules. It don't matter the era."
Wallace's comments are nothing new because most of yesterday's players share his opinion. Last week Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson offered a similar take.
While speaking on "The Big Podcast" hosted by Shaquille O'Neal, Iverson said he would average 43 points in today's game.
"I lost the scoring title to Kobe [Bryant] the year he averaged 35," Iverson said. "I averaged 33." I'm just thinking to play in this era, if I was to play in this era with it wide open, If I can average 33 in a season, I'm gonna take it up to 43. I know 10 more points."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
