Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is beloved today for his broadcasting entertainment, but that career path came after a legendary NBA run. Fans of the late 1980s and 1990s witnessed Barkley stepping up with Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the faces of an era that defined basketball for a generation.
Barkley still has strong pride in the era he played in and holds it to a high standard that he doesn’t believe every active player can reach. Stephen Curry is often the icon named among today’s stars when pundits or fans claim certain players’ styles wouldn’t have translated in past eras.
“There’s no physicality whatsoever. We would have beat the hell out of that little dude. Seriously, I love Steph Curry. You think Steph Curry could have took the beatings that Michael Jordan took?” Barkley said in a quote transcribed by Fadeaway World.
The belief that Curry, a shorter guard who thrives on outside shooting over physical play, would have struggled in Barkley’s era is one shared by more legends than just Barkley.
Barkley Cites Michael Jordan’s Last Dance
The Last Dance documentary series became a cultural phenomenon during the pandemic, when a new program felt needed for sports fans. Jordan’s Chicago Bulls journey is covered in the series, giving fans a closer look at the trials and tribulations that went into the historic player leading a franchise to six NBA championships.
Barkley said that the episodes showed the things that are lacking today and would make it harder for Curry:
“Seriously, think about this. Go back and look at The Last Dance. The way the Pistons and what’s crazy about it, what makes it really crazy, they just got two free throws. The way they were hitting Michael Jordan, today if you did it, you get suspended for a month. They just got two free throws back in my day.”
Jordan, Barkley and other top stars had to deal with harder fouls and stronger physical play. Various rule changes have helped today’s stars have more freedom and less fear of taking a vicious hit. Defenders are called for fouls faster and even receive a flagrant foul for plays that were once common, which helps offensive players like Curry thrive.
Barkley Surprisingly Agrees With Scottie Pippen
The topic of Curry and other players being able to thrive in the 1990s was recently brought up by Scottie Pippen. Curry, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic were all singled out by Pippen as names who dominate with ease today but would not have been the same level of MVP-caliber superstars in that era.
Barkley had some hostility with Pippen over the years, going back to their Houston Rockets tenure together and into their time as media personalities exchanging insults. However, their shared experience of surviving the 1990s style of basketball has led them to unite on this take.
Curry had to change the game even in the 2010s, since teams didn’t believe outside shooting could be the strength of a contending team. Four NBA championships and a legendary tenure leading a legacy franchise give Curry the support of many fans who believe he could have had the same success in the past.