A former Grizzlies scorekeeper, Alex Rucker, now turned Sixers executive, has admitted to inflating NBA statistics in the 90s, a practice that was internally reinforced within the Grizzlies organization. The revelations highlight a broader issue of home/road stat inflation during the 80s and 90s, suggesting that the practice went well beyond Rucker and the Grizzlies. Rucker's admissions include instances where assists were liberally awarded, often based on the player's reputation rather than the play's merit, with John Stockton's assists as a cited example. He describes assists as being "given out like candy" in the 90s. This manipulation of statistics also casts a shadow on historical achievements, such as Michael Jordan's defensive prowess in 1988 when he won the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), with notable discrepancies in home and away stats, including 165 steals. Despite these historical manipulations, Rucker believes that today's NBA showcases the best basketball ever seen, implying that current high-scoring games are legitimate. The story has sparked discussions about the integrity of NBA statistics and the legitimacy of records from the era.
A former Grizzlies scorekeeper — who cooked the books of NBA stars to boost their stats during the Jordan era — DOESN'T think the same thing is happening in today's game. 👀 "To me, this is the best basketball we've ever seen." More with @tomhaberstroh: https://t.co/UWrstXU2J3 https://t.co/Xd23WE1VvF
Scottie Pippen: Michael Jordan “was the greatest player definitely in basketball” #goat #MichaelJordan #ScottiePippen https://t.co/LOH9rsC1Hf
Scottie Pippen says Michael Jordan is ‘for sure’ the greatest ever “You look at the MVP’s he was able to achieve. But I think it was all brought from us being successful as a team. Obviously, someone is going to bring those accolades home. But, yeah, he was the greatest player… https://t.co/XYf3pE4dL4
A former Grizzlies scorekeeper goes on record about juicing NBA statistics in the 90's. "He describes it as, 'Assists were being given out like candy in the 90's.' ... Blocks were highly subjective." In 1988 when Michael Jordan won DPOY, the home and away splits were: 165 steals… https://t.co/A3Dnpv5KX2
"Wilt's 100 points, we can't even fact check that." Seeing and hearing Alex Rucker was startling enough, but glad to see @tomhaberstroh asking the important questions https://t.co/SLXLz8X8Sd
Maybe the biggest revelation in this story: the home/road stat inflation of the 80s and 90s appears to go well beyond Alex/Grizzlies. He also wasn't surprised that the Jaren Jackson Jr thing was debunked; we talked to him about the legitimacy of today's high-scoring NBA. https://t.co/j9AUQJXgDP
Former Grizzlies scorekeeper Alex Rucker admits to boosting NBA stats in the 90s: "There's a discussion, 'That wasn't an assist, that was a pass.' ... And the majority opinion by a mile was, 'Oh no, that's definitely an assist. It's John Stockton.'” 😳 (via @pablofindsout) https://t.co/x6XCxMbqLI
Former Grizzlies scorekeeper turned Sixers exec Alex Rucker ADMITS to juicing NBA stats in the 90's — and says that the practice was "reinforced internally within the Grizzlies." 😳 "There's a discussion, 'That wasn't an assist, that was a pass.' ... And the majority opinion by… https://t.co/luln2ACGU3
A Grizzlies scorekeeper who really did get away with juicing NBA statistics. His secret identity, on camera, finally revealed. And a reconsideration of Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, analytics, and everything we hold dear. @tomhaberstroh @pablofindsout 🚨➡️… https://t.co/n4PBbFHCCh