Everyone knows Ric Flair, right? The two-time WWE Hall of Famer has always been known to be a true fan of US sports, everything from college basketball to hockey. He’s also known for his singular antics in the ring, especially for his reputation as a “dirty athlete”.
However, it seems that something is bugging him about basketball, as he sees most NBA athletes becoming delicate superstars, more than strong athletes. It all started with players resting for load management, and eventually turned into players exaggerating injuries to stay off court.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Flair let all his frustrations out, comparing modern basketball players to pro wrestlers.
“These basketball players that whine and b—h, it’s taken a lot of the sport away from me,” he said this week.
‘The Nature Boy,’ isn’t exactly loving the NBA: “These basketball players that whine and b—h, it’s taken a lot of the sport away from me,” – Ric Flair.https://t.co/PHN6s7oOBA
— OutKick (@Outkick) July 18, 2023
“They go to work hurt,” Flair said about his fellow pro wrestlers. “That’s what pisses me off today about these basketball players that stub their toe. No s–t. How do you think I feel about that knowing I wrestled six months after I broke my back in a f—ing airplane crash? ‘I got a torn thumbnail. Whoa, whoa, whoa.’”
Unlike basketball stars, the former WWE star says he respects all wrestlers because he knows what it entails to make it in this industry and these types of athletes are now a dying breed.
“All they do now is go over there, practice and make money,” he continued. “I don’t know what else they do. No one’s paying the price anymore, I will say that. Traveling 3,000 miles a week for 50 bucks a night and a hard-boiled egg and a pig’s foot. Forget it.
“They don’t have to do what I did in the ‘70s and all that bulls–t. I mean, nobody should’ve been treated like that. But they’ve got to live it, they’ve got to sacrifice it.”
Even though most NBA fans make fun of LeBron James for supposedly exaggerating fouls, Flair has the outmost respect for him
According to Flair, the NBA was once a league where the paint was a place for players to sacrifice and give their all to win. It was normal to get bruised or suffer injuries and keep on playing. Now, everything is a foul.
Lakers superstar LeBron James is not only known for being one of the best athletes to ever play the sport, but also has a reputation for exaggerating fouls in his favor. In spite of this, Flair is a huge fan of “The King”.
Three years ago, he even introduced James as he accepted his All-Time NBA selection at the ESPY awards:
“He broke Kareem’s [Abdul-Jabaar] record in 21 years in the league! On the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16!” the former pro wrestler exclaimed.
Even though James missed a whole month of action this past season as he endured a recurrent foot issue, his medical staff shared that the star played through injuries during many stages of the campaign, not willing to be on the sidelines as his team needed his support.
