John Stockton admits he is not watching the NBA anymore because it’s way too soft: “Fans want you to go out there and do what they can’t do, not go out there, shake hands and hug” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The NBA has undergone a radical transformation from its earlier iterations. Gone are the days when brawls were almost a regular fixture, especially in the rugged ’80s and ’90s. Today’s game is a positionless spectacle where nearly everyone, from the smallest guard to the tallest big man, is encouraged to fire away from deep in the name of analytics and offensive efficiency. The bruising battles in the paint have been replaced by pace-and-space and load management.
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All of that has made a number of players from past eras distance themselves from the game they once lived and breathed. And for one of the greatest floor generals the league has ever seen, the changes have been enough to kill nearly all interest in tuning in.
Stockton is disconnected from the modern NBA
One of the most respected legends of the past, and arguably one of the best pure point guards to ever lace them up, John Stockton admits he simply doesn’t have the time, or the desire, to watch much of today’s NBA.
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Sure, life after basketball is different. Stockton is a father, a grandfather, and a man with responsibilities far beyond the hardwood. But the Hall of Famer says it’s more than just a busy schedule keeping him away. The product itself, in his eyes, doesn’t excite him like it used to.
“I’m not watching a bunch of it. Life’s busy…” Stockton said and went on to explain why the Association has lost most of its aura.
“Things that I see, I do think it’s soft, where you have guys that can take, like, twenty days off. What do they call it, load management? Can you imagine your dad coming, ‘I’mma take a few weeks work off.’ You know? Well, who is going to feed us then? These guys do it, and they are supposed to be examples and the league allows it,” Stock pointed out.
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For a player who built his career on durability — Stockton famously missed just 22 games in 19 seasons — seeing stars routinely sit out without injury is a tough pill to swallow. And he doubts this trend will stop anytime soon.
Too soft, too friendly
Stockton doubled down on his view of the modern product. For him, the game’s heart isn’t just about skill, it’s about combat, about rivalry and about giving the fans a battle they can’t get anywhere else.
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“The load management, the salaries are off the charts, the style of play is… these kids are talented, man, they can make shots. Because they can make shots everybody thinks they should be taking them. There is less strategy, there is less physicality… I think people are looking for gladiators out there, they want you to go to war. They want you to go out there and do what they can’t do, not go out there, shake hands and hug each other,” the Utah Jazz icon added.
It’s a familiar theme from legends of past eras: today’s players are too soft, the competition too friendly and true rivalries are few and far between. While the league is still filled with undoubtedly skilled, talented and athletic marvels, Stockton believes it’s missing the edge that once defined it.
Whether that competitive spirit can ever return in an era of billion-dollar TV deals and multimillion-dollar superstars remains to be seen. But for players like Stockton and many others who thrived in that old-school do-or-die environment, the NBA he sees today feels more like an exhibition than a war. And for him, that’s reason enough to keep the channel on something other than basketball.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.