Which great basketball players from the 1980s and 90s would lose or gain value if they played in today’s NBA? League legends like Alex English, Larry Bird, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Kevin McHale, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Patrick Ewing are just a few of the names that came up in a recent discussion of stars who might see their status rise or fall in the league of today on an episode of the Athletic’s “NBA Show”.
For fans of the Boston Celtics, a time machine for the two stars of the 1980s mentioned above was something of a mixed bag with regards to modern-day versions of Bird and McHale given how the style of play has shifted considerably for players at each of their respective positions.
