“It all started to go down hill when your best player said he wasn’t going to play back to backs… the DNA of Philly, they tough, they rugged.” At the beginning of the season, Kevin Garnett expressed concern over Joel Embiid’s statement that he did not play back-to-back games. Since then, the load management debate has sparked, and former players like Charles Barkley criticized the intentions of current players. Joining him are two NBA icons, including the Rockets legend Vernon Maxwell.

Mad-Max, on his Instagram story, wrote, “BJ Armstrong speak that sh-t. Yes these n—- like the rest.” The 2x NBA champion’s story was in agreement with former Bulls star B.J. Armstrong. The 57-year-old spoke on his podcast about how the players of the previous generation managed to play during the entire season. He said, “A guy like me at my size could play 82 games, but not one year, but multiple years. There’s people who know how to do it. ”

In that Instagram rant, the 3x NBA champion harped on the fact that they were able to play more games with fewer facilities, saying, “We went to the gym on our own, a gym called A Powerhouse. Maybe that’s the formula, and we did this for what about $9.99 a month for the membership, okay? So we know that works.” During those remarks, the Instagram reel had snippets from the Mavs vs. 76ers game, where Joel Embiid can be seen limping.

Joel Embiid has had a troubled season, starting with a delayed debut, recovering from knee surgery, and several missed games with multiple injuries. Even when he was the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, the Cameroonian big man missed his first two NBA seasons with foot injuries. Knee injuries also cut his apparent rookie season short, which was two years after the draft. His current situation is far more serious, as Shams Charania’s latest update revealed that he will undergo season-ending knee surgery.

Armstrong previously featured as a starter and from the bench in 82 games for 6 straight seasons. The maximum Embiid has played during the regular season is 68 games. Meanwhile, Vernon Maxwell broke that record 8 times during his 13-year career. But neither of the icons named the 76ers star or any player. But their frustration is very similar to that of Charles Barkley.

TNT analysts had similar sentiments as that of Vernon Maxwell’s

Chuck never holds back from speaking about players, media, politics, or anything he doesn’t agree with. The Suns legend has also been critical about NIL and its effect on the future generation. Similarly, massive contracts for the NBA stars and load management have been a sore subject for Sir Charles.

“When we have guys making $90 million, and they’re load managing, you think the regular fan gonna be having that sh-t? Hell no,” Charles Barkley was very vocal on the Bill Simmons podcast. The 62-year-old pointed out that NBA players, playing just 3-4 days a week, have it easy in comparison. The overall consensus has been that the current product is a lot ‘softer’ than previous generations. It’s not that the NBA hasn’t taken any steps to solve the issue.

Adam Silver’s NBA decided to set a benchmark for the number of games played to 65. Just like Vernon Maxwell, Barkley cleared that benchmark easily. He has managed to miss less than 65 games only thrice in his career. So, are the legends right about criticizing the current players?