During the 2024-2025 NBA season, much of the conversation surrounding the league has been based on the past. A love for a bygone era that was more physical and intense has diminished the current game, with the critical nature of legends and sports media drawing fans’ ire.
At the same time, a new crop of emerging talent has yet to take the leap to become the next “face of the league,” leaving the responsibility in the hands of LeBron James and Stephen Curry. A former champion alongside James, however, believes rose-colored glasses have polluted the conversation.
Channing Frye Calls Out Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant Worshippers for Nostalgia
Channing Frye had a 15-year career in the NBA, suiting up for multiple teams like the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns, before ultimately winning an NBA Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. One of the first seven-footers to consistently utilize the 3-pointer, Frye has seen both eras of basketball.
And, speaking on his “Road Trippin'” Show alongside Richard Jefferson, Frye made it clear that the 1990s and 2000s era of basketball weren’t as special as some were making it to be. To him, viewing that timeframe through a childhood lens made it look better than its reality.
“Nostalgia is killing the NBA. The 90s basketball – Michael Jordan and Kobe – was not as clean as y’all think it was. Y’all forget that Jordan left the league for two years. Y’all forget that Kobe, Rest In Peace, quit on his team in the playoffs and did not shoot the basketball.”
Nostalgia is killing the NBA‼️
Do y’all agree?#roadtrippin #nostalgia #lebronjames #michaeljordan #GOAT pic.twitter.com/mdpXupmsJa
— Road Trippin’ Show🎧 (@RoadTrippinPod) February 22, 2025
Jordan famously retired twice, first in 1994, then again in 1998, before ultimately calling it quits in 2003. Bryant, less famously so, refused to shoot the ball in a Game 7 during the 2006 Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns en route to blowing a 3-1 lead, a year after missing the playoffs entirely.
His situation was so severe that Charles Barkley, a major proponent for the Mamba, called him out on national television for quitting on his team, as Frye alludes to. However, he wasn’t done, calling out the unfair “propaganda” current-day players were being subjected to.
“So all this Kobe/Jordan, ‘Oh, he’s not this, he’s not that.’ That is propaganda. Every great player, whether that’s Ant [Anthony Edwards], Wemby [Victor Wembanyama], Bron [LeBron James], Steph [Stephen Curry] – you compare him to a motherf***** 40 years ago.”
To him, the comparison was senseless, especially given the evolution of the game and the rules of the sport entirely. “The rules weren’t even the same. You’re not really watching help-side defense, who’s doing this? What is this rule? What is that rule? You’re not watching.”
The biggest problem for Frye was the perception created due to the constant uplifting of the previous era, thereby downplaying modern-day players.
“Nobody celebrates these new people. So, why the f*** would anybody want to be the face of this league? We’re going to get s***** on every network for not being somebody from 40 f****** years ago. It’s ridiculous. It is unfair.”
The comments seemed like a direct response to the backlash surrounding Anthony Edwards. During All-Star Break, he sat down for a conversation with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who asked him about becoming the next face of the league.
With his explosive athleticism, combined with elite skill, alongside a charming personality off the court, Edwards was seen by many as the American-born superstar who could hold the face of the league title. But, Edwards had a different path in mind, outright rejecting the responsibility.
But, from Frye’s perspective, the constant grilling that James has dealt with for 20+ years might not be the most attractive option for these newer age superstars. Any accomplishment from the four-time NBA Champion is met with a resounding cry of “But Jordan…”
Frye himself made the argument. “‘Bron is one of the greatest players to ever play. Stephen Curry is one of the greatest players ever to play. Giannis [Antetokounmpo] is one of the, [Nikola] Jokic – and you know what we do? We talk about f****** Michael Jordan.”
To put it in perspective, the day after LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record that had stood pat for nearly 40 years, ESPN’s First Take ran a segment calling the celebration overdone.
Simultaneously, when Jordan first broke through 30,000 points, a feat achieved by seven other players, the game was stopped and he was given a trophy from the league.
The league isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Load management, excessive reliance on 3-pointers, and lesser emphasis on defense are all real problems. But, pretending that the sport isn’t in one of its best, most diverse, and most competitive eras is just flat-out false, and the culprit might be the past.
