Two-time NBA champ Kenny Smith believes Michael Jordan would have had problems in the social media era - "It would’ve been too much"

Michael Jordan is one of the NBA legends who played in an era wherein players let their game do the talking. There was no social media hype where old-school players could post highlight videos of them dominating a game.

People had to watch games to see the greatness of a certain player. Despite the lack of technology and media platforms back then, MJ still became a global icon.

Kenny Smith recently opened up about how Michael Jordan would handle social media if he played in today's era of basketball. Being a global icon in the pre-2000s, paparazzi would follow him everywhere to get an interview or at least capture a photo of him for the newspaper. Jordan barely had a private life due to the press always lurking in the shadows.

NBA legend Kenny Smith said that MJ might not be able to handle the horrors of social media. Back then, only authorized media personnel had access to the Chicago Bulls star.

These days, even random fans and bystanders can become a player's worst nightmare because of their smartphones. With that in mind, it'll basically double the number of people that could've surrounded MJ.

"It would’ve been too much," Smith said. "Think about how everybody in the world knew about him. He was like our version of Michael Jackson. He was the most recognizable person in the world... It was almost too much when there was no social media and all you saw was Michael everywhere."

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How social media has changed the NBA

LeBron James using his smartphone

The NBA today has changed compared to back in the 60s-90s era of basketball. Back then, all players cared about was winning and becoming the best athlete in the world.

While that's still the goal for the majority of the players today, they also have other priorities such as keeping a good image and building their social media status for brands and endorsements.

NBA stars today have ventured into creating content on YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram, and other various platforms. In fact, these superstars would juggle playing basketball while building up their individual social media platforms. Stars like Paul George and Draymond Green have their own podcasts. Green was recently called out for prioritizing his podcast rather than focusing on the playoffs.

While this comes as great advertising for the association, the players' social media goals arguably affect the teams they play for due to a conflict of priorities. Even fans have begun to call out some NBA stars for focusing on tweeting and posting on the gram rather than working on their game.