Zhu Meng Green talks about the current NBA basketball development in one sentence

On June 11, during the 2025 NBA Finals, the remarks of Golden State Warriors core player Drummond Green sparked widespread discussion in the basketball world. The four-time champion pointed out bluntly in an interview: "Basketball is a game for rich children, while basketball in the past is the way out for the poor." This discourse not only reveals the deep contradictions in the development of contemporary NBA, but also touches on the essential issues of the evolution of American sports culture.

Green's view was echoed by many retired stars. According to sports media analysis, the average family background of NBA players has changed significantly over the past two decades. In the 1990s, about 60% of NBA players came from low-income families, and now this proportion has dropped to less than 40%. This phenomenon is closely related to the commercial transformation of the basketball training system. The threshold for modern basketball training camps, personal coaches, high-end equipment and national tours is getting higher and higher, and a teenager's annual training investment may reach $20,000-50,000, making it increasingly difficult for children from low-income families to enter the upward path of professional basketball.

The contrast is that in the 1970s and 1980s, street basketball courts and community sports centers gave birth to countless basketball geniuses. Michael Jordan grew up in a regular working family in North Carolina, Allen Iverson honed his skills at the slum basketball court, and LeBron James was able to compete in amateur games with community support. The growth trajectory of these legendary stars seems almost difficult to replicate today. In the modern NBA draft, the proportion of players from prestigious private basketball schools continues to rise, and the annual tuition fees of these schools often exceed US$30,000, making them a preparatory camp for professional basketball. The arms race for basketball equipment is equally worrying. The latest data shows that the average price of a pair of professional basketball shoes has soared from $80 in 2005 to more than $200 today, and high-tech equipment such as smart sports bracelets and biomechanical analysis systems have pushed training costs to new highs. As Green said: "When you need to spend $5,000 to get your kids to participate in a tournament with scouts, the sport has changed. "This phenomenon has led to many talented but poor teenagers being eliminated at the starting line. The commercialization process of the

NBA is also exacerbating this trend. The league's annual revenue grew from $2.6 billion in 2000 to $13 billion in 2025, and the average annual salary of players exceeded $10 million. Behind the superficial prosperity is the narrowing of the upward path of the bottom players. Although the G-League has set up training programs such as "Ignite Team", it can only accept dozens of players every year, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the dream of millions of basketball teenagers across the United States. What is even more worrying is that the AAU (American Amateur Sports Federation) Youth League has been monopolized by major sports brands, and players have been swept up by commercial interests since the age of 13-14.

This change has had a profound impact on the sports of basketball itself. Technical statistics show that the technical characteristics of modern NBA players are showing a trend of homogeneity - the proportion of three-pointers and basket points continues to increase, and traditional technologies such as mid-range shooting are gradually disappearing. The scout report pointed out that players from wealthy families prefer to choose "safe" style of play and lack the creativity and resilience developed by street basketball. Green criticized this: "The current game is like a carefully arranged video game, and we have lost the most primitive competitive instinct of basketball. "

The elevated economic thresholds also bring hidden worries at the racial level. Although the NBA is still dominated by black players, the proportion of African-American players from middle-class or above has increased significantly. Meanwhile, the proportion of Latino and Asian players has been long-term downturn, which is highly correlated with the economic status of these groups in American society. Sociologists point out that when the economic threshold of a sport exceeds a certain critical point, a hierarchical screening mechanism will be automatically formed, which will ultimately affect the diversity and vitality of the entire sport.

Faced with this dilemma, the NBA has begun to take remedial measures. The "Community Basketball Revival Plan" launched in 2024 promises to invest US$200 million in the next five years to repair urban public basketball courts and fund young people from low-income families to participate in the competition. Some teams have also established basketball academies for poor communities, such as the Warriors' "Gulf Light" program provides free training for 300 children every year. But the coverage of these initiatives is still limited and it is difficult to reverse the overall trend.

Green proposed a more fundamental solution at the end of the interview: "We need to rebuild the community foundation of basketball so that the next MVP can grow on cement floors on every street corner. " This may reveal the eternal proposition of the development of professional sports - how to maintain its most authentic national attributes and social mobility when a sport moves towards a highly professional and commercialized approach. On the balance between money and dreams, the contemporary NBA is facing an unprecedented test of balance.

From a more macro perspective, Green's remarks reflect the overall decline in social mobility in the United States. As the basic living costs such as education, medical care, and housing continue to rise, even the traditional upward channel of sports has become increasingly narrow. This phenomenon not only occurs in the field of basketball, but also faces similar problems in professional leagues such as NFL and MLB. Perhaps, Green's insightful opinions are not only a reflection on basketball, but also a fair question of the opportunities of the entire society.