Those defending the current state of the NBA league will tell you that every era has been criticized in the past. And they're right - people get emotionally attached to the eras they watched when young. Thus, they may be negative to anything contemporary. You don't have to dig deep to find these decades-old articles, complaining about refereeing or players gone soft. Yet, all this feels like quibbling compared to what people don't like about modern NBA eras. As the US viewership numbers are awful, this illustrates that the whole "NBA sucks" thing is the real deal. So, let's check what's wrong with the game.

10. Ticket Prices

Going to an NBA game isn't cheap. The average ticket price is now around $100, not counting a parking place and some food and drinks. As you'll spend about four hours in the arena, you'll probably be forced to buy something. Since you can't bring your own food and drinks and can't go outside the arena and come back, you don't have much choice. Thus, a family of four will easily spend $500, which is insane.

Furthermore, the best seats in the house now belong to celebrities and "suits" who don't really care about the game. Many will come very late (if they come at all) and only care about being seen. As watching games online is very affordable, regular families are inclined to stay at home. Unfortunately, things will only get worse.

9. Refereeing

The NBA is very protective of referees, as players and staff are severely penalized for criticizing them. Furthermore, while the league sanctions awful refereeing, the consequences are mild. Thus, it's hard to screw up so much that you get suspended or sacked. Likewise, refs have the freedom to base their decisions on personal judgment. Thus, they issue technical fouls for whatever they want. Therefore, players are punished for showing emotions.

Ultimately, players are encouraged to act like robots and subdue their passion. Thus, there's no electricity in the air like in previous decades. Yet, this is all thanks to the NBA's insane tendency to make the game more family-friendly, even though no one asked for it. 

8. Politics

NBA has always been vocal about social issues. That was fine before, as they had players help children and those less fortunate. Yet, the league is now much more involved in politics. The NBA was aggressively promoting the controversial Black Lives Matter movement, before slowly getting away from it. However, even worse is that the league has no spine, and will turn a blind eye for money.

Therefore, when the general manager of the Houston Rockets supported Hong Kong protests, China decided to stop broadcasting the team's games. What followed were numerous apologies and embarrassing approval of the brutal communist regime, which goes against every American value. Thus, the NBA is brave to attack only those who can't hurt them financially. Hence, the league has no credibility and should stay away from politics and pushing their values. 

7. Player Empowerment

In today's NBA, anything is possible, and being loyal to the team is a rarity. Hence, players like LeBron James will go anywhere to form a superteam and win titles. In previous decades, most teams stayed together for a better part of the decade, which enhanced the team image. Everyone could name the starting five of the Knicks, Bulls, Sonics, Pacers, and many other teams in previous decades, as big trades were a rarity.

Nowadays, players have too much power and can easily change teams. Thus, the teams are rarely recognizable, outside a few who dominate the league. That's why casual fans don't care anymore and will switch sides easily. Overall, we all became desensitized, as nothing can surprise us anymore. There's still hope, as the NBA is now trying to fix things. Yet, it won't be an easy task. 

6. Rivalries Are Dead

Abuse of player empowerment means that traditional rivalries are also dead. In the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, you could always expect heated battles. Bulls against Knicks, Knicks against the Heat, and Rockets versus Jazz are some of many healthy rivalries. These games were electric, as many stars and superstars played against each other for years.

Today, we only have instant rivalries that may last a few seasons. However, even they are rare, and usually only between a few top teams. Yet, there's not much tension between players. Now, everything is just business, and no one wants to get emotionally involved.

5. The All-Star Weekend

All-Star Weekend was something to look forward to. First, the dunk contest was reserved for the stars and superstars, who were honored to participate. Secondly, the all-star game often turned into a battle in the last quarter, with both teams doing everything to win. Thus, you still had to earn your stats.

Flash forward to the modern NBA, where players are literally getting out of the way for their opponent to dunk, and score as much as they can. There's nothing left to watch, and we honestly don't need this. We also don't need a dunk contest contested between anonymous players, or Celebrity Game featuring C-listers.

4. Regular Season

The regular season signified something, as teams cared about whether they would finish fifth or sixth. Nowadays, that doesn't mean much, and taking the number one seed is not a priority. Thus, teams are often resting their best players. Furthermore, regular season games are passionless affairs, where people rarely bother too hard.

While NBA fans were never as devoted as fans in Europe, nowadays the atmosphere doesn't even exists before the playoffs. However, it's hard to blame them, when you see that players don't care. Being dedicated to your favorite team doesn't make much sense anymore. When the players are not involved, why would you be?

3. Load Management

Yes, playing in the NBA is intense, and teams reaching the playoff finals will total around 100 games. Yet, the highly-paying superstars were there every time! In his second three-peet, Michael Jordan played every game for the Bulls in all three seasons! As he explained, he felt obligated to do so, knowing that there were always people who never watched him before. Yet, he wasn't the only one. Every superstar played every game unless they were seriously injured. For example, John Stockton missed only 22 games in his 19 NBA seasons! There were no exceptions, as Mutombo, Reggie Miller, Ewing, David Robinson, and every other star were always on the floor. 

Unfortunately, the top stars are now missing a third of the season, and not because they are injured. Instead, they are resting to prolong their careers and save energy for the playoffs. While that makes sense for them, it's incredibly unfair to the fans. Plus, they have way better training, diet, and even gear than Jordan, Magic, or Kareem. While the NBA is trying to reduce load management, it will take time to fix things.

2. Three Pointers

Contrary to popular belief, NBA players today aren't much better at shooting threes than previous generations. The difference is, they just shoot them way more. As the defending options are limited, it's now way easier to create space for three-pointers. Thus, everyone is shooting them, including centers. Therefore, the art of midrange shooting is dead, as well as playing under the basket. 

Unfortunately, this won't change unless the NBA allows players to play tight defense, and force the offense to be less predictable. Yet, is the NBA willing to get rid of high scores? Plus, individual player stats would sink, and that could hurt their ego. When you get used to easily scoring triple-doubles and 40 points per game, it's hard to relinquish that.

1. No Real Defense

For decades, the NBA has been trying to improve scoring at any cost. Hence, the defenders have less freedom to stop the other team. As hand-checking is a thing of the past, the player with the ball has way more space to shoot. Furthermore, shot blocking is a dying art, as the best players average half of what their peers had in previous decades. 

This also demotivates players to play serious defense, and some are not even trying. Thus, most games look more relaxed than an All-Star game in the 1990s. Playing the offense is way more important now, and as long as you shoot well from the distance, you'll be fine. Consequently, players have become incredibly soft. Thus, they fall after the slightest touch, hoping for a foul.

NBA is in serious trouble, to the point that American basketball fans are now watching the Euroleague, where every game means something. Thus, it's a massive revelation, as none of these problems apply there. Hopefully, NBA leadership will make some positive changes, and end the current circus.

How often do you watch the NBA? What is your favorite NBA era?

Cover photo: TopTens.fun/Midjourney