Raising Up the N.B.A

I as watching a N.B.A game last week end between the World Champion OKC Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have a 7 ft. 4i n French phenomenon named Victor Wembanyama that seem destined to be the next Lew Alcindor (AKA). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar whom I believe to be the real N.B.A. GOAT but that’s another column. According to Chat GPT Victor Wembanyama is tied for tallest player in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies Zach Edey.

It is clear a new generation of competitors are in the making, and maybe it’s time to make changes to the game that was invented in 1890 by Dr James Naismith of Springfield Mass., as a winter sport for his students. At the beginning there was no dribbling and no back board, and a soccer ball was shot into woven peach baskets and every made basket had to be retrieved by hand. My point is the game has evolved greatly since its inception. May be it’s time to think about a new era in basketball. Baby boomers might recall “dunking “the basketball was banned in schools from 1967-1976, because of what was dubbed the “Alcendor Rule,” which was implemented as a response to a 7 ft 2 in. N.Y.C high school freak of nature named Lew Alcender, who promised to become an indominable force at a time when 7 footers were as rare as chicken teeth.

So, the powers that be at that time, decided to outlaw dunking as a means to neutralize height advantage. In the case of Jabbar, he overcame the rule and perfected the infamous “sky hook, which carried him to the all-time lead ing scorer until Labron James broke his record last season. With the emergence of Victor Wembanyama, who is like nothing anyone has ever seen before. He plays like a point guard and can score from anywhere on the court. If he can stay healthy, he could be the GOAT of the next generation. There are currently 39 NBA players 7 ft. or taller and more on the way.

In an international world bas ketball talent and physicality will no longer be limited to homegrown talent. Competitors across the world are taller, faster and stronger and dunking the ball has become less of an athletic feat in my opinion. As a lifetime fan of bas ketball, I’m going to suggest something that is simply inconceivable to many. Maybe it’s time to raise the height of the standard 10 ft rim by 6 inches. What would happen? Would it make the game less exciting or more? I understand it would throw off stats for a while, but I am convinced players will adjust in one generation. Dunking would become more challenging, but I’m sure skill sets would adapt in time, and the game will move on to a higher level. Think about it!