Remember a few weeks back when Bleacher Report dropped that ranking with Kobe Bryant—a five-time champion—sitting at No. 11, right behind Steph Curry at 10? Yeah, that one had the internet buzzing. Both are great, no doubt, but let’s be honest—many felt like that list added fuel to the growing narrative that today’s players are low-key disrespecting the legends who built the game. Well, a millionaire actor and comedian just stepped in to end the debate—and of course, he brought up the GOAT: Michael Jordan.

Aries Spears didn’t hold back when he showed up on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast. He jumped right into the whole debate about how today’s generation treats NBA legends, and honestly, he said what a lot of people have been thinking. “Part of what bothers me, and I don’t know why, but it’s become cool now for this young generation to diss our legends,” Spears said. “Yes. Yes. You know, if you don’t listen and and people that know me know my Michael Jordan vs LeBron s— but whether you like Michael, who I think is the GOAT, or who or whether you like LeBron, who I think is the third best ever, at the end of the day, some of the s— that people are saying is beyond disrespectful cuz it it borders idiocy.”

And then he really got into it, calling out the ridiculous takes that have been floating around. “Yeah. Jordan couldn’t go left? We done with the 90s? He played with plumbers and truck drivers, and the competition was garbage? This is what we’re doing now. More physical?” Spears didn’t stop there either. He reminded everyone how different the mentality used to be. “Not to mention and listen, I can go all day on this s— but not to mention when you look at the all 82 games. They didn’t do rest management. And when they celebrated, they didn’t use goggles. They took champagne ski to the face. They took the burn. You guys know my story then. They took the burn these sensitive motherf——. Now you need goggles.”

Let’s not act like Michael Jordan didn’t celebrate big—because he absolutely did. The man was known for pouring his whole heart into those title wins, and he showed it every time. From hugging the Larry O’Brien trophy like it was his own child to pumping his fists on the scorer’s table and raising fingers for every ring—MJ let it all out. And when it came to the champagne? He wasn’t holding back. One of the most iconic moments from The Last Dance showed him in the locker room after the ’98 title, laughing with Scottie and Rodman, literally pouring champagne on Rodman’s hair and shouting, “That’s waterproof color right there!”

Fast forward to 2015, and the celebration game clearly changed a bit. Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson, after finally tasting championship glory, said, “To me, it says you’re at the top of the mountain. Nobody can tell you nothing. So light up a nice cigar.” But here’s the kicker—“We were spraying champagne all over the place. My eyes were burning, and I had goggles on. What a lot of people don’t know is we were also drinking tequila.” So yeah, the vibe might’ve evolved.

Let’s be real—Aries Spears is a huge Michael Jordan fan, it’s fair to assume there’s a bit of fan bias in there. But at the same time, Spears’ take isn’t completely out of left field.

Old school vs new school: The respect debate is heating up

Let’s be real—this generational clash in the NBA is getting louder by the day, and Anthony Edwards just poured gas on the fire. In a chat with The Wall Street Journal, he boldly claimed, “They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then… So that’s why when they saw Kobe [Bryant], they were like, ‘Oh, my God.’ But now everybody has skill.” The only exception he gave? Michael Jordan. That take didn’t sit well with many. Tony Kornheiser said Edwards “sounds like a fool,” and Magic Johnson clapped back: “Don’t attack all the old-school guys when you haven’t done your homework… Look, man, talk to me when you’ve won something.”

Then came a wild post from Nick Young on X: “Kyrie is the Kobe to curry mj ppl scared to say he’s better .. 👀” And yeah, fans roasted him. Kyrie’s got insane handles and a ring, sure, but Steph has two MVPs and revolutionized the game. Saying that Irving is better than Curry is disrespectful to one of the greatest shooters ever, and comparing Kyrie to Kobe? Straight-up disrespect to the Black Mamba. Nick’s take quickly became meme material—a classic case of trying to be bold and ending up as the joke.

But to be fair, Draymond Green did make sure to give the legends their flowers. Still, he couldn’t help but clap back. After Oscar Robertson took a shot at him, saying Green only looks good because he passes to Steph and that “Draymond says so much so who cares what Draymond says”—Green responded on his podcast. “I’m not sure what idiot wouldn’t want to pass Steph Curry the ball when he’s the greatest shooter of all time,” he said. He even threw in a cheeky jab about Robertson’s age, saying the Hall of Famer is probably “sound asleep” during Warriors games. Green made it clear he wasn’t trying to disrespect “one of the pioneers of the game,” but the subtle digs were there for all to see.