It's the age-old question—could LeBron James dominate in the 80s and 90s like he has since arriving in the league? The Ohio phenom entered the Association in 2003, and many greats of the game have said he missed out on the most physical eras in league history in the process.
As such, many of those same all-timers have questioned whether LeBron could have succeeded in the same way in previous eras. According to John Salley, he would have done just fine, even against defensive specialist Dennis Rodman.
During an interview with VladTV, Salley opened up about how the league and the revolution of the big man have changed.
"The hand checking changed everything. The physical play to be able to touch like that, they got rid of that because that would work in Dennis's favor. On the Pistons, we didn't call Dennis The Worm; we called him the big man. Big men that could guard Hakeem but Dennis was the fastest player, fastest runner. He was an unbelievable physical specimen to play basketball. Anyone that knows basketball will tell you that about Dennis," he said .
How would LeBron do?
We have to remember LeBron stands six-foot-eight and 250 pounds in his prime, with reports at his heaviest during his Miami Heat stint that he exceeded that weight by a wide margin.
The reality is that the superstar small forward is built like a football player, and there simply hasn't been anyone in NBA history with his combination of size, speed, explosiveness, and talent.
Salley, unlike other players from his era, acknowledged that James would have been unique even in his day. Although Rodman would have done a great job defending him, the game now is tailored to his success.
"There wasn't anyone like LeBron, and I say that. The difference is the referees and NBA changing its way. They are not caring about defense; they want more points because the NBA sport now is focused on international play, not the down, dirty in which the east coast is physical, and the west coast is finesse," he said.
"That mentality of what the NBA used to be is no longer. I think Dennis would guard him greatly, but the one person I saw that Dennis had problems with was the Reign Man. That was a different way of playing too. You can't check people now; you can't put your forearm on them; you can't drive them to something. You just can't play the way we used to play," he added.
James would dominate any era
The reality is that just about every superstar in NBA history would excel in any era, which is the exact reason why they are superstars in the first place.
LeBron is no different, and in fact, arguably the best of them all. In all seriousness, it's borderline laughable to suggest that Rodman, or any other elite defender that's ever lived, could handle James in his prime. It's silly to suggest anyone would effectively shut him down.
As Salley mentions, no one is physically built like LeBron and possesses his skill set to match.
The leading example is comparing Rodman's measurements to the wings of today's league. When you do, you quickly realize that he, among many others, was significantly smaller and less athletic than the players we see today.
The bottom line is LeBron would dominate in any era, and it's refreshing to see someone from the 90s acknowledge that.
Related: John Salley on how the Bad Boys Pistons were never embraced around the NBA because of the "Messiah in Chicago"
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