What's happening on Tiktok and around the NBA
When it comes to ticking off any sports fan, throwing shade at Michael Jordan's basketball skill set might just be the ultimate button-pusher. The whole "We done with the '90s" NBA trend is making the rounds on TikTok's for you page, and it's definitely stirring up some fiery debates.
Amidst all this back-and-forth, we're also witnessing a celebration of young talent across the league, as the sports community seems to be waving goodbye to past glory days and giving a big thumbs-up to the fresh new stars rising in the NBA. In this blog, Hollywood Branded discusses the relevance of the “We done with the 90s” trend and the notable young NBA stars that are emerging in the 2020s.
Why are we done with the 90s?
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The “We done with the 90s” trend has seen substantial growth on Tikok as the platform continues to be the go-to social hub for the younger demographic. The trend started gaining popularity as people began going back and watching the game footage from the 90s NBA era and critiquing it based on the current NBA.
Why would kids go back and watch NBA footage from the 90s in the first place? The answer is simple. These kids have been blindly told that athletes like Michael Jordan were tougher, smarter, stronger, and overall better talents than the NBA players they have been accustomed to watching throughout their lives. This narrative around superior 90s basketball has been pushed on kids and young adults from their parent's generation to their grandparents' generation.
What Tiktok has to say about the "We done with the 90s"
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As the trend continues to circulate online young people are gravitating towards its outlandish and comical discourse. Many of the “We done with the 90s” videos are being created by Gen-Z and Millennial TikTok content creators such as hbbordie, blankboy__, and dr8cotakes. Accounts such as these highlight how 90s NBA players most notably Michael Jordan who is widely renowned as the G.O.A.T. have notable flaws in his game that would not transfer into today's NBA.
TikTok posts show real 90s video footage demonstrating how Jordan lacked a left hand at times as he continuously struggled to dribble the basketball with his left hand. Furthermore, videos showcase Jordan also had poor shot selection that resulted in him shooting the basketball into the side of the backboard on several occasions. The “We done with the 90s” trend is not only clips of Jordan getting exposed.
Video footage also shows the lack of defensive athleticism and awareness that players in the 90s had in comparison to today's NBA players. More Tiktoks are surfacing of defensive possessions where players in the 90s are not in defensive stances and have defensive positioning. Not to mention the abundance of wide-open shots offensive players had at their disposal without defensive rotations.
Older generations don't understand but we do
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Michael Jordan and other 90s basketball players are humans and at the end of the day, they do make mistakes. However, one key element with the “We done with the 90s” trend is that older generations speak about this player of the past as if they were far superior to the Lebron James, Steph Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of today. The trend speaks on how older generations are so quick to judge and scrutinize current NBA players and neglect the flaws of the best players of their generation.
Older content creators on Tiktok such as chltwn32 are heated in this debate, and quick to defend the glory days of their past. These accounts are fed up with the disrespect coming from young content creators and the audiences that support this narrative of 90s basketball being “trash.” In reality, however, these Uncs getting mad at young people poking fun only makes the “We done with the 90s” trend even more relevant and comical in the end.
When we look at the trend as a whole, some young creators take it very seriously and truly believe that the '90s basketball is a shell of modern NBA basketball but what these older generations fail to see is that the majority of them are actively trolling them. Young people on TikTok love to stir the pot so to speak as they find it funny seeing the passionate and aggressive defensive to of 90s basketball from these old heads. They fill the comment sections with provoking remarks just to get a reaction from older generations that are feeding right into it.
The passing of the torch
With the current trend cycle on Tiktok evolving in what seems like every day we shall see if this trend evolves as the days and weeks go by. What can be gained from this trend is however that people are partly “done with the 90s” because of the current state of the NBA. The league seems to be in a great place with many notable Gen-Z talents emerging around the association. Now that we are done with the 90s we need to recognize and praise the talented athletes in today's game. Below is a Hollywood-branded list of the three Gen-Z talents emerging in the NBA and their 90s basketball comparison players.
From 3 here comes our top 3
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Zion Williamson and Charles Barkley:- As Barkeley physically dominated 90s NBA basketball Zion Williamson has shown glimpses of that very nature. Zion is an absolute force down low just like Barkley and has athleticism that rivals NBA legends.
- He is only 23 years old and has yet to figure it all out but the future is only looking up for Zion as he is yet to reach his peak performance.
- We are looking further than two white American players that can hoop here. Reaves and Hornacek are similar in many ways. Reevas displays great passing and shooting that rivals Hornacek with an explosive game that continues to develop every year.
- At Hollywood Branded we look forward to performances the Reevas will continue to display in years to come.
- Anthony Edwards or for what many of the Gen-Z population likes to call him ANT, is a young MJ in the making. His passion for the game and competitive nature shows signs of ANT being one of the all-time greats of today's game. Not to mention the explosive dunks that ANT displays on a nightly basis.
- Everyone loves to try and make MJ comparisons and many have tried throughout the years but 22-year-old Anthony Edward seems to be a Gen-Z favorite resembling the greatness of Michael Jordan.
Eager To Learn More?
What to learn more about what's happening in the everlasting world of pop culture? Check out some of our other Hollywood-Branded blogs that highlight key moments and trending topics around the media zeitgeist.
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- The Story Behind The “What Do You Do For A Living?” TikTok Trend
- Why Duolingo And Ryanair Rock At TikTok
- Hip-Hop & The NBA
- The Top 10 Highest Endorsed Athletes And Their Brands
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