If you’re a big National Basketball Association (NBA) fan, you’ve likely heard or been a part of a debate over which era of basketball has been the most challenging in the league. The Wrightway Sports Network describes how this argument often centers around whether the 1990s or the current era of the NBA is the most difficult. It is one of the most significant and most argued topics in basketball history, with many varying and passionate opinions. For example, discussions of the topic have been held on the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) between journalist Steven A. Smith and the Phoenix Suns’ power forward Kevin Durant. Like every sports debate, it’s a subjective argument so there isn’t any right or wrong answer, but it is important to have all the facts before forming an opinion.
The only objective way to compare the two eras is by statistics. But before we can do that, we have to define exactly what the modern era is. For this article, the modern era will be described as being from the 2014/15 season to the present. That season was the first championship for the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors who revolutionized the game with their high-volume of 3-point shooting. To start comparing, according to Basketball Reference, the average points per game in the ‘90s was 100.7. Whereas the modern era scoring numbers rise much higher with the average points per game being 109.3.
Many people will tell you that this rise in scoring is in part due to more fouls being called in modern-era basketball in comparison to the ‘90s where, according to Mediate, players could play harder without fouling. However, if you look at the stats, there were actually more free throws given and more fouls called per game in the ‘90s with 22.7 personal fouls per game in the ‘90s and just 19.9 in the modern era, according to Basketball Reference. The real statistical difference that offers an explanation for why the points have gone up is the rise of the three-pointer. According to Basketball Reference, the peak of three-pointers attempted per game in the ‘90s came in 1996/97 at 16.8 per game, which is less than half of the amount attempted now, with current attempts per game being 37.5.
However, the numbers don’t tell the whole story, and how people perceive games can greatly decide which era they think is harder. John DiCarlo, a professor of sports media at Temple University, shared, “I realize how talented today’s players are, but I do think the ‘90s were harder. I mean the games just weren’t called as tightly.” This viewpoint is not supported by the previously mentioned statistics, however, it is DiCarlo’s belief that the referees simply weren’t calling as many fouls, and as such, aggressive play was able to occur at higher rates without referee interference. DiCarlo elaborated, “I watched all these guys play in the ‘90s and they were more fierce, they could play through contact.” DiCarlo, like many, believes it was the physicality of the ‘90s — having to fight through shots and shoves — that made it so challenging.
Abukar Munye, a Franklin senior and avid basketball fan, agrees with DiCarlo that the ‘90s were more physical but doesn’t think it necessarily makes it harder. “‘90s basketball relied on pure physicality, but now that teams have started using zone defense and now that hip checking is illegal, the talent level has had to increase,” said Munye. He believes the exact reason why DiCarlo thought the ‘90s were harder — the physicality — made it easier than today’s game, which shows how subjective this argument is.
I asked both what exactly it is that makes an era harder or more challenging. DiCarlo believes that in the ‘90s “guys were playing more games, load management wasn’t a thing, and the season was really just more grueling.” Load management, where players will sit out games they are perfectly healthy for in the interest of rest, is one of the most criticized aspects of the modern NBA.
Also, many people point to an increase in flopping or foul baiting in today’s games as creating a difference in the difficulty levels of the eras. According to Bleacher Report, in modern-era basketball James Harden, Trae Young, and Joel Embiid are some of the worst floppers in the NBA as they constantly either act out contact or jump into defenders to win free throws.
Munye claimed that the harder rules in the modern era actually make for a more difficult game. “Since the ref[erees] got better, players have to try harder to play real defense without fouling and players have had to develop more skills beyond just their strength,” he explained. Munye also argued that the players of today are more skilled than in the ‘90s. While there is not a single statistic that can be used to measure skill, according to Basketball Reference, players now turn the ball over less, giving it away just 14.1 times a game compared to the 15.8 times per game in the ‘90s.
Like many other sports debates, whichever era you think is harder may coincide with the era of the sport you grew up with. Between DiCarlo and Munye this is seen as DiCarlo — the older basketball fan — votes in favor of the older era being harder while Munye — a high school student — thinks of the modern era as being more challenging. Whether you think the grueling and rough game of the ‘90s or the high-scoring three-point heavy modern era is harder, there’s no real winner or loser, and this is likely to be the discussion of lunchrooms and sports articles for generations to come.
