“I got Russell, I got Kareem, I’d just pick 1 of them and I got better than anybody you got today” - Bob Ryan debunks the myth that players from 1960s and 1970s would not make it in today’s NBA

The idea that NBA players in the 1960s and '70s couldn’t play in today's game has divided fans. While some consider this to be true, others call it complete nonsense.

Many of the younger generation simply cannot fathom why the guys in short shorts would have a place in the league today. Renowned author Bob Ryan, who has been watching the NBA since the 1960s, argues that the stars back then would be as good in the 2020s.

On "The Ryen Russillo Podcast," Ryan backed the trailblazers of the game, calling them good, if not better than today’s superstars:

“I can give you a list of a 12-man team of NBA players, each of whom spent five years of their career in the '60s, a 12-man team I’d put up against anybody you wanna play today.

“First of all, I got the centers, you don’t have them! I got Wilt. I got Russell. I got Kareem. I’d just pick one of them, and I got better than anybody you got today in the pivot. End of story. ... I got Oscar. I got Jerry (West). I got (John) Havlicek. I got (Rick) Barry. I got Sam Jones. I got (Dave) DeBusschere. I got Pettit. Oh, thank you very much!”

Four of the players Ryan included in the list are multiple MVP winners. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won it six times, Bill Russell had five, Wilt Chamberlain had four and Bob Pettit had two. Oscar Robertson was also named MVP once. Every name on that roster was an All-Star on numerous occasions.

The names Ryan mentioned were undoubtedly the cream of the crop in the 1960s. He conceded, though, that the role players back then may have a hard time playing now, but the superstars would certainly shine.

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NBA players in the 1960s and '70s had underrated athleticism and outside shooting

The athleticism and shooting in the NBA in the early years are underrated, according to Bob Ryan. [Photo: NBA.com]

Two factors seemingly make today’s NBA superstars superior to their counterparts in the 1960s and '70s. Most fans consider the current crop of players to be more athletic and have better shooting.

Bob Ryan discussed why athleticism is overrated today and why players back then were underrated in this aspect:

“I have met this myth of athleticism being a product of the 21st century that the old players of the '60s and '70s would not be capable of being stars. … Athletes aren’t just the finest in running and jumping. There were other things. Look at (Larry) Bird, who wasn’t the greatest runner and jumper but his hand and eye coordination were off the charts.”

And then outside shooting, specifically the 3-point shot, which didn’t exist when the oldies played in their primes. This is a part of today's game that is supposedly too much for the past generation of NBA players. Ryan took a shot at this notion as well:

“This whole mantra is about the 3-point shot and these (1960s) guys couldn’t shoot it. Of course, they didn’t shoot it, because nobody wanted to shoot it. It was a stupid shot! Why would you take it? Well, let’s put a value on it. That’s the name of the game today. These guys would have gone into the gym. They would have worked on it!”

This is an argument that will not end, particularly among diehard fans who are separated by decades. Ryan, though, has brought several compelling arguments for those who believe the players of the 1960s and '70s can play in the league today.