LeBron James hits back at nostalgia-ridden fans for glorifying older generation

Modified Apr 08, 2025 16:28 GMT

NBA: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers - Source: Imagn — LeBron James weighs in on the differences between the modern NBA, and eras past on the latest episode of Mind The Game (Image credit: Imagn)

On Tuesday, LeBron James and Steve Nash released the second episode of Season 2 of Mind The Game. The two discussed a wide range of topics, from year 22 for James, to the importance of routines, and everything in between.

At one point, the duo spoke about the differences in eras, with Nash saying that the two need to help educate fans on the modern NBA.

James spoke about one of the key differences between the modern NBA and eras past, saying that fans back in the day were lucky to get to watch a game or two a week.

"I think if our fans will really go back and watch some of those games, they will realize then maybe that's not something we would want to see on a night to night basis," James said. "Because the difference between our game now is that all of our games are on television every single day. ... You can watch all of our games.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

"In the 80s and 90s you may be able to catch one game if you had it locally. ... and if not then you may not see a game right for a long time."

"We should appreciate and celebrate our game," - LeBron James calls on NBA fans to appreciate modern NBA as past eras

While discussing the differences between eras, LeBron James called fans to appreciate the modern NBA the same way they revere eras past.

"I think the nostalgia of the game, I think just a deeper conversation of why we should appreciate and celebrate our game of basketball today, our athletes of today just like the 60s and 70s and 80s and 90s guys were celebrated, and 2000s guys were celebrated," James said.

The conversation between the two shifted to James' offseason preparation; however, based on the future Hall of Famer's comments, it sounds like the two will be circling back around to the topic in the future.

About the author

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

Know More

NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks set sights on 6-foot-10 European center LeBron James was willing to take pay cut for

Edited by Krutik Jain