Photo: PBD Podcast/YouTube

Scottie Pippen recently reflected on how the NBA has changed since his playing days, offering candid comparisons between his era and today’s game.

Speaking with Marca, the Chicago Bulls legend was asked whether Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic could have been just as dominant in the 1980s or 1990s.

“I don’t know,” Pippen admitted. “We used to press all over the court. Could Jokic bring the ball up against such pressure? I don’t know. Sure, he can see the court and pass very well. But I don’t know if he would be comfortable bringing the ball up with that pressure.”

For Pippen, success has always come down to the collective, not just one superstar.

“Basketball is a team sport,” he explained. “I don’t care what great individual you go and get. That doesn’t win a championship. It has to be a great team.”

Comparing the eras more broadly, the six-time NBA champion pointed to how much has shifted both on and off the court.

“It’s just a different game, in terms of how the game is promoted, how the game is refereed. And the players are different. They’re bigger, stronger, faster,” he noted.

Still, Pippen doesn’t believe today’s NBA is tougher than the one he played in.

“I don’t want to say it’s even more physical,” he said. “Basketball in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s was about as physical as you can get. I don’t see today’s game as physical as it was back then, just because of the hard fouls that you were allowed to give. Teams played with a different mindset.”

Pippen was also asked about a hypothetical showdown between his 1996 Bulls, who went 72-10, and the 2016 Golden State Warriors, who set the 73-9 record.

His answer depended on the rulebook.

“It depends on the rules. In the ‘90s rules, Steph Curry is not the same player. But for us to play in their era, it would be like breaking out of jail,” the Bulls legend said.

“You got freedom, nobody is holding on, nobody is knocking you to the floor, so they would probably win in that sense. They got Steph and Klay [Thompson], probably two of the best shooters, shooting three-ball. That just wasn’t our expertise.”

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