“People take it as gospel,” JJ Redick breaks his silence on Dominique Wilkins’ ‘vicious’ take
Examining the Debate on Comparing Players from Different Eras of Basketball
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Dominique Wilkins and JJ Redick via Getty Image
JJ Redick, former NBA guard and 17-year veteran, has found himself in a debate over comparing players from different eras of basketball. Redick responded to comments made by Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, who called Redick’s viewpoint “stupid” after Redick contended that Larry Bird was not one of the great three-point shooters of all time.
During a February 15 episode of “First Take,” Redick argued that Larry Bird’s lack of three-point volume made it impossible to put him in the same conversation as Stephen Curry, despite acknowledging Bird as one of the great players and all-around shooters of all time.
Redick fired back against the common “trope” that players of past decades incurred more physical play than their contemporary peers. He argued that outside of hard fouls and fighting, the physicality of basketball play is not that much different than today’s NBA. Redick lamented the debates over comparing players from different eras and dismissed the notion that contemporary players couldn’t handle the NBA of old, and vice versa.
In response to this, in an interview with ESPN, Wilkins said, “Redick doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. What basketball were you watching to say something as idiotic as that? It’s ridiculous”.
Wilkins argued that Redick doesn’t know what he’s talking about and that the physicality of past eras was much different than today’s NBA. He explained that players could put their hands on an opponent’s hip or elbow them in the chest, making it difficult to handle the pressure.
Redick Responds to Wilkins’ Criticism
Redick responded to Wilkins’ comments on his podcast Friday and denied that he disrespected any past players or eras. He reiterated that he was questioning media narratives around the physicality of past eras, not disrespecting older players.
Redick also dismissed the notion that contemporary players couldn’t handle the NBA of old, and vice versa, calling it “(expletive).” He emphasized that the greatest players of every era would be fine in any era and that players should be celebrated and congratulated for their greatness in their respective eras.
Redick acknowledged that he doesn’t enjoy comparing players from different eras and that debates over it can be frustrating. However, he stood by his controversial take on Larry Bird’s three-point shooting, arguing that the lack of three-point volume made it impossible to put Bird in the same conversation as Stephen Curry.
In conclusion, Redick and Wilkins clashed over comparing players from different eras of basketball, with Redick’s controversial take on Larry Bird’s three-point shooting drawing criticism from Wilkins. While Redick stood by his viewpoint, he also emphasized that players should be celebrated for their greatness in their respective eras and that the greatest players of every era would be fine in any era.
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Arpan Ghosh
(1403 Articles Published)