The debate of whether or not the likes of LeBron James can withstand the purported physicality of old school basketball will never stop being a hot topic. Many believe that the Los Angeles Lakers star is a product of a much softer generation and couldn’t withstand the physicality that Michael Jordan and company faced, while a huge subset of fans also believe that James, given his freakish athleticism, will overwhelm anyone that stands in his way regardless of era.
James, however, appears to be sick and tired of the narrative that basketball was much harder in the past than it is today. In fact, the Lakers star said that he thinks someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo, a 6’11” freight train with the handles of a guard, the athleticism of a forward, and the brute strength of a center, will score an inordinate amount of points if he was somehow transported back in time all the way to the 1970s.
You trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to play an NBA game in the 70’s? Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the 70s. 250,” James said in an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, via Courtside Buzz on Instagram.
James has one of the brightest basketball minds on the planet; he is a student of the game through and through, and he has always been respectful of the greats that have come before him and paved the way. So when the Lakers star says something like this, fans better listen, the obvious hilarity and exaggeration in what he said notwithstanding.
Some veterans of the sport may take offense to what LeBron James said. After all, there is an air of discreditation regarding the level of play during the 1970s. But is the Lakers star even wrong?
The game was much more deliberate in the past, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the athletic marvel that he is seen as today, would be classified as an alien if he were to play 50-plus years ago.
Big men were limited to roles where they would simply camp out in the paint. There wasn’t much floor-spacing yet, and with the three-point like not being instituted in the NBA until 1979, it’s not hard to see Antetokounmpo being the most dominant force the league has ever seen if he somehow found a way to time travel back to 55 years ago.
The Milwaukee Bucks star might average Wilt Chamberlain-like numbers if he played during that era, although he may not have had a chance to score 250 points since his teams, more often than not, would already have the game wrapped up by the third quarter.
