In an era where superlatives like “the greatest of all time” are handed out casually, Kelly Oubre isn’t buying the hype. For him, the GOAT conversation stopped years ago, with names like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant topping the list. Everyone else does not even belong in the same sentence, mainly because the physicality of the modern era is watered down.

“This game today is a little bit more soft,” Oubre said on The Complex Sports podcast (H/T: Bleacher Report). “To call anybody a GOAT nowadays is disrespectful to … the awards and accolades [MJ] and Kobe have won.”

KO made this comment back in 2021 when he was with the Golden State Warriors. Interestingly, some NBA pundits think Oubre’s then-teammate Steph Curry already deserves a seat at the table. But for “Tsunami Papi,” even greatness needs context, and today’s game, in his view, just doesn’t measure up to the legends who earned it the hard way.

Less physicality?

The former Kansas Jayhawk mentioned the physicality of the past era and how the game has gone soft compared to how it was played before. It is a valid observation, but does it hold enough water to exclude Curry, LeBron James, and others in the modern game because of it? The two factors for Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant are not mutually exclusive: Just because the level of physicality back then was higher doesn’t mean the players were tougher.

“I go back and watch a lot of that ’90s film, ’80s stuff, and they play physical, but I just think they got away with a lot of flagrant fouls,” Durant said on “The ETCs” (H/T: CBS Sports). “And I think that’s why they call their era more physical than ours. Because, guys, we play physical here, too. There’s more space, but guys play physical, we got strong, athletic guys here, too. But I watched some of those games, the paint was clear, nobody was getting touched, it wasn’t a lot of help defense.”

“But you did get a lot of flagrant fouls [that] didn’t result into fines or getting kicked out the game, so it just seemed like it was a little tougher,” the two-time Finals MVP observed.

It’s a fine assessment by the 2014 NBA MVP. The Association back then was physical, but today’s game is more physically demanding. Playing defense in modern basketball requires big men to be mobile and active, as they would probably find themselves chasing the small guys around the perimeter. On the flip side, since most team defenses today feature switch-heavy schemes, the guards likely find other big men trying to take advantage of the mismatches.

As the “Slim Reaper” attested, today’s game is still highly physical, but not in a brute, “pluck you in the air midflight” way.

Reverence or Revision?

Oubre’s stance is rooted in respect for a tougher era. However, dismissing today’s greats entirely may overlook how the game has evolved. Physicality has changed form; it’s less about sheer force and more about endurance and being in perpetual motion.

The GOAT label means different things to different people. For some, it’s about rings and accolades; for others, it’s about dominance across generations. What’s clear is that opinions on the matter won’t be stopping anytime soon.