Basketball has evolved in significant ways over the last few decades. In the 1980s and '90s, when the NBA came into its own as one of the world's most popular sports leagues thanks to the star power of guys like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, toughness and physicality were everything. Those traits are still very important, as the 2025 NBA playoffs have shown, but the game is now wide open thanks to the three-point revolution led by players like Steph Curry.
LeBron James has helped bridge those eras, coming into the league in 2003 and remaining one of its greatest players through 2025. While he had the chance to play against some of the '90s greats during the tail ends of their careers, he aligns himself with the stars of the 2010s and '20s. James has spent years calling out the negativity from former stars like TNT's Charles Barkley about the modern game.
