Kobe Bryant told the truth: “The rules of Michael Jordan’s era were tougher than those of LeBron’s era, and demanded a higher level of skill.” 🔥 “Today’s NBA is a finesse, small-ball game with extremely little physical contact. The flagrant-foul calls you see so often now make me sick. I prefer the old-school physical basketball I grew up watching. Back then you had to beat a defender with a hand on you (hand-checking), so you needed the skill to drive both ways, change direction, post up, and play in the mid-range. If you took it all the way to the rim, you could get knocked on your ass. That’s why the game required more skill then. Now you aren’t even allowed to touch anybody, so anyone can get to the basket easily. That’s why I think physicality should be brought back, including hand-checking. It would force players to develop real fundamentals and enough ball-handling to get past defenders. Compared with today’s NBA, European basketball is still more physical.” — Kobe Bryant 🐍 NBA fans around the world 100% agree with Kobe. Coming from someone who played under both sets of rules, those words are plain fact. Michael Jordan walked a far harsher path than the league LeBron played in, and set the greatest records in history. He is the true GOAT.