The tradition of having a big man on the roster is slowly fading away. Recently, NBA veteran Carmelo Anthony talked about this dying tradition on the latest episode of his podcast. While reminiscing about the good old days, Melo listed out the four big men currently in the league that he likes to watch.

Melo said that a big man used to be crucial for every team back in the 90s. However, now there are only a handful of them and it is making an overall impact on the quality of the games.

Carmelo Anthony talks about the dying tradition

Melo said that his generation came up in “the dominant big man era”. He said, “You only throwing it to three big men in the league today… four.” Melo and his co-host The Kid Mero started off the list with the Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. Last season, Jokic was one of the contenders for the season MVP and won the Finals MVP and the first-ever title for the Nuggets. Apart from Jokic, Joel Embiid‘s name was also mentioned among the best big men in the league currently. Embiid was declared the season MVP last year.

Apart from these two, the LA Lakers star Anthony Davis was also mentioned by the duo on the podcast. There is no denying the energy that AD brought to the Lakers. In the recently concluded in-season tournament, Davis played a crucial role in taking his team to the finals. And on the night of the finals, he put up a special performance with 41 points and 20 rebounds to help the Lakers become the first-ever champions of the inaugural tournament.

Domantas Sabonis’s name was also mentioned by the NBA veteran before he closed his list. The NBA veteran said, “Those are the four, like, big men that you can throw a ball to.”

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Some of the best big men from the past

Melo and Mero dived deeper into their discussion over big men by recalling some of the best from the past. Mero said that back in the 90s, every team had one big man on their rotation because of the impact they could have on the game. He named Rik Smits of the Indiana Pacers who was 7’4.

Mero also mentioned Jim McIlvaine of the Washington Bullets who stood at 7’1. The 10x All-Star brought up George Mikan into the conversation. Mikan was nicknamed Mr. Basketball and stood at 6′ 10.

Of course, one of the best big men of all time and arguably the most dominant is Shaquille O’Neal. The Lakers center was a menace on the court for the opposition and had a special ability to change the game at his will.

Do you think the tradition of the big man is dying in the league? Tell us about your thoughts in the comments below.

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