Derek Fisher raises concern about NBA's competition level, makes startling comparison between modern NBA and WWE
Ex-LA Lakers point guard Derek Fisher recently reflected on how the NBA has changed since his playing career. He highlighted how the league has increasingly prioritized fan entertainment over fierce competition, likening it to the WWE.
Fisher played 18 seasons for five teams from 1996 to 2014. However, he is best known for his two stints with LA. He famously served as a vital role player on five Lakers championship squads headlined by franchise legends Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Since Fisher's 2014 retirement, the NBA has become progressively more pace and space-oriented, with teams shooting more 3-pointers than ever. Thus, it has continually moved past the physical, low post and midrange-centric playstyle of past generations.
On "Byron Scott's Fast Break" Sunday, Fisher weighed in on the league's evolution from a fan perspective. He noted that for better or worse, it has become WWE-like.
"When I kind of tap into more of [being] a basketball fan when I watch the NBA today, I sometimes compare it to ... [when] WWE was WWF, World Wrestling Federation, and then it shifted to World Wrestling Entertainment," Fisher said.
"Again, not right or wrong because one could argue that the WWE is a more impactful sport than the WWF was, depending on what side of the conversation you're on," he added.
However, Fisher added that every major sports league has made similar attempts to become more appealing to fans at the expense of competition.
"I feel like all pro sports, to some degree — not just the NBA. Even in the NFL — you listen to guys that have played before and coached before, it's a different game, and it's not a negative thing," Fisher said. "It's just it is built more for the entertainment value than the competitive value."
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Derek Fisher later compared competing in the NBA in past generations to going to battle like a "gladiator." However, he noted that he doesn't look down on today's players or consider them "soft," as they still compete in a "different way."
Derek Fisher uses Shaquille O'Neal and Nikola Jokic's contrasting playstyles to illustrate how NBA has changed
While breaking down how the modern-day NBA differs from past generations, Derek Fisher brought up his ex-teammate Shaquille O'Neal.
Fisher noted that O'Neal, who won four championships and an MVP, used brute force to dominate the paint. He later contrasted O'Neal to one of today's premier centers, Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP and one-time champion thrives off versatility, possessing the ability to initiate plays and shoot from outside.
"People have no idea how big and strong Shaquille O'Neal was. It's not even close to [modern-day players]," Fisher said. "As dominant as Nikola Jokic has been and deserving of MVPs, the way he dominates the game is obviously extremely different than Shaq. But the concept is the same. You have no matchup for Nikola Jokic."
Nevertheless, unlike many retired players, Derek Fisher didn't take a firm stance regarding which playstyle is more ideal or which NBA era he prefers.
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