Charles Barkley Explains Why NBA Stars Play Longer In The Modern Era: 'It's Easier'
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Charles Barkley recently sat down with Bill Simmons to record an episode of his podcast for The Ringer, where the NBA legend discussed several trending topics in the league.
Simmons asked Barkley about his time with the Houston Rockets and why the superteam he formed with Hakeem Olajuwon and Scottie Pippen didn’t work in the 1998-99 season. Barkley said they were too old at the time.
“Just because we were old. I think we made it to the conference finals in my first year in Houston… But that was the only good year we had. We were broken down, and Scottie didn’t want to be there. He took the money, but he didn’t want to be there. He bolted to Portland right away after that.”
“But we were just old has-beens, to be honest with you, Bill. We had one good year. You remember when Stockton hit the shot? My first year in Houston, we had a good year,” Charles Barkley explained.
“I had a good second year, but after that I was cooked. Hakeem was cooked, Clyde was cooked, and that’s honestly why Scottie wanted out of there. Then we traded Hakeem the next year; people forget that he finished his career in Toronto,” he recalled.
“It always ends badly. Father time is always going to win. I think it’s easier; the league is a lot easier today, let me get that out of the way, because there’s no physicality. So you can play another couple of years because all the physicality has gone out of the game.”
“But for most great players, it always ends badly. You could say Michael [Jordan] for the Wizards ended badly if you’re going to be honest. He wasn’t Michael Jordan when he was playing for the Wizards. It’s always going to end badly if you keep screwing around with Father Time,” Charles Barkley said.
Subsequently, Charles Barkley claimed that even LeBron James will soon become a victim of Father Time.
While Father Time remains undefeated, modern advancements in sports medicine have made it possible for today’s stars to fight back against the aging process more effectively than players from previous generations could.
Players in the 1990s often looked like they were forced to retire at age 36-37 because their bodies gave out. But today, players who are 36 or 37 years old look like they are still in their prime.
Improved injury treatment, rehabilitation, and preventative care have all helped extend the careers of elite basketball players.
At the same time, the NBA is a significantly different physical environment than it was in the 1990s. Players faced more contact and were generally allowed to play a more physical style, which took a greater toll on aging bodies.
Today’s emphasis on player health and limiting unnecessary contact may be helping stars remain effective longer. That combination may explain why players like LeBron James can continue performing at an elite level well into their late 30s and early 40s.
But saying that the lack of physicality is the main reason players play longer in the modern era is a bit too far-fetched. It ignores all the growth in scientific and medical technology.
So, to a certain extent, Barkley is correct, but the modern athlete’s improved health results from a culmination of factors, not just changes in league rules.