Let's be honest about what the NBA's biggest problem is now. Zion Williamson and Ja Morant failed to step into roles the league was preparing them for

[IsThatBrothaMouzone?]

Nobody cared about big market teams like the NY Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and LA Lakers when the heat, spurs, warriors and cavs were going to the finals and were winning championships during last decade . Superstar players will make small market/mid-market teams big just off their presence. Lebron and Kyrie made the Cavs as revelant as the Knicks and lakers. Lebron, Bosh, Dwayne Wade and Shaq put Miami on the map and made them revelant. Tim Duncan and kawhi Leonard made San Antonio famous. The splash brothers and KD raised the profile of the warriors and made them a big market franchise.

If Zion ever became the superstar everyone thought he would be, New Orleans would be revelant and the center of the basketball world and would be a big market team as long as he performed well and stayed there with the pelicans.

You place any superstar in any city and on any team , that franchise suddenly becomes a big market franchise. What were the bulls before Jordan? Cows.

100% facts.

NBA is a player-driven league. ESPN is the one driving the big market narrative. They shill for New York/LA the same way they shill for the SEC in CFB.

Put elite, generational players on teams that can win rings...and it doesn't matter which city they're playing for.

 

[NotAHotep]

Guys with their playing styles have never been the face of the NBA. Harden was polarizing too.

LeBron played a similar style and became the face of the league. Their euros and most Americans won’t identify with them.

 

[Jalether]

Correct in theory but the way you framed it is actually part of the problem

Ja and Zion were supposed to be faces of the league bc they are/were phenoms playing basketball. Instead you describe it as some rigged conspiracy. THATS one of the core issues. The fanbase is flooded with folk who are either casuals or just bitter and more interested in debates and storylines, and they don’t actually know/like/play/understand actual basketball

Every overrated and glorified steve francis that the cat dragged in the 3 point shooting era is a phenom now

 

[steph_harden]

It’s bigger than just those 2. It’s a generational thing.

These players don’t take the pride and responsibility of being an ambassador for the league like MJ, Bron and Kobe did. Nor do they even understand the concept buisness wise. All they wanna do is hoop and enjoy the fruits of their labor

They don‘t care about the millions of kids that idolize them

They don’t care about fighting to get on the court when they don’t feel well because of that one fan who spent thousands to bring his kid who had never seen them before

They don’t care about giving back to the game period.

And in a way I don’t blame them. All these nikkas grew up in the AAU bubble and barely even watched the game. So how would they even be able to understand the history of the game? You get that sense of pride from watching all the others do it before you. But these young nikkas didn’t even have attention span to observe stuff like that

Zion and Ja both crashed out in different ways but you can see their mentalities are both the same. Zion is just a sad song but Ja is back…still has the eye popping game but his face should be everywhere on billboard and commercials but it’s not because well….he crashed out. But it all leads back to their mentality

 

[x-factor7]

Bingo.

At the end of the day, that's all that it is.

NBA fans are miserable.

They're entitled, don't want to let go of the past, don't want to embrace anything new and if things don't go their way, they pick up their ball and head back to the crib.

 

[premier58]

This is the real issue. The 3 point thing can be fixed (and help ratings significantly) but the truth is there is no face of the league. Anthony Edwards is more early Damian Lillard or Clyde Drexler or Mitch Richmond or Carmelo than a top guy.

Dont insult Clyde like that. He got his team to two Finals as the No. 1 guy and had a second place MVP finish