“Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson, man – they weren’t playing 2-3 zones” – Kendrick Perkins criticizes zone defense, tells players to “man the hell up”

In the ESPN podcast “Q&A with Kendrick & Marcus,” Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Spears discussed NFL and NBA rules they would change.

Spears, a former NFL defensive lineman, described his dislike in seeing NBA players kick out their legs to draw fouls while shooting. That is a rule which has seen changes this season.

Despite being the one who posed the question, Kendrick Perkins wanted to share his take.

The way the game is played today is different from what it was in the Michael Jordan era. Back then, the game was much more physical, and today’s zone defenses were illegal.

Kendrick Perkins, a former NBA big man, would like to change the zone defense rule. Perkins said:

“I hate the fact, listen, I don’t not like it, I hate it – that the NBA allow grown-ass men to play zone – in the NBA, bro. We not about to keep doing that. Man the hell up, man.”

In 2002, the NBA changed to rules to allow zone defense, which has been banned since the 1940s.

Michael Jordan, then with the Washington Wizards, played only one season under this rule change. When Jordan starred with the Chicago Bulls, he would often just go one-on-one to score. He brought a similar intensity when he had to guard someone one-on-one.

Perkins drew a vertical to the NBA legends who had to play in an era with no zones. Back then, not allowing your man to score on you at any cost was a win for the defense. Perkins said:

“Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson, man – they weren’t playing 2-3 zones. … Where is your pride? Like playing zone, dawg?”

The zone defense was allowed to counter the advantage a big man had by virtue of his size. In the absence of zone defense, the focus was on a player’s skill to create for themselves on offense. Jordan regularly got the better of his matchups and was often fouled after he beat his defender.

On the other end of the floor, Jordan was a dominant defensive guard, almost always defending the best player on the opponent’s roster.

Perkins wants today’s defenders to play that type of defense, instead of a system relying on switches and teammates coming to help.

Perkins realizes the zone is something that will not go away easily and said:

“We gotta to move on, man, ’cause that really got me hot. That’s a whole another podcast.”

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Despite Perkins’ displeasure, zone defense is here to stay. Teams today are used to it and have built their systems around it. It seems unlikely there will be any change after almost 20 years. But it’s safe to say we’re going to hear more on this from Perkins.