Player podcasts have become one of the NBA’s biggest off-court trends, giving stars a direct line to fans without going through traditional media. To a certain NBA legend, however, that freedom has also erased a line the league once fiercely protected.

Looking at Jaylen Brown’s post-playoff media tour and Draymond Green’s long-running podcast, Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr. argued that the NBA has become far too comfortable with active players publicly discussing rivals, insisting former commissioner David Stern would never have allowed it.

“I never agree with a guy having his own podcast on a team,” Hardaway said. “I don’t agree with guys in the NBA streaming whatever while they’re playing. You’re disrespecting these other teams. You’re talking about these other teams, and Adam Silver just let it go.” He continued. “David Stern would have been like, ‘Hell, no, we’re not doing that.’ If you talked about a team in media, say, their trade or something like that, you would have got fined by David Stern. You do not talk about nobody else’s team. You talk about your team and your organisation.”

While the NBA has long enforced tampering rules for teams and executives, there has never been a widely documented league policy prohibiting active players from publicly discussing rival teams on podcasts or social media. Under Adam Silver, player-created media has largely been embraced, with podcasts and livestreams becoming a regular part of the league’s landscape.

Hardaway’s comments came just weeks after Brown’s turbulent offseason ended with a blockbuster trade. After Boston failed to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Celtics were “full-blown shopping” Brown around the league, according to Shams Charania, before ultimately sending him to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

Hardaway made clear Brown wasn’t the only player he had in mind. “Draymond, I don’t agree with, because you’re disrespecting these other teams, and Silver just lets it go,” he said.

Green’s podcast has become one of the NBA’s most influential player-run platforms, regularly featuring commentary on opponents, playoff series and league storylines. While some praise that direct access, Hardaway believes it crosses a line that simply didn’t exist during Stern’s era.

Why Hardaway Believes Brown Had to Leave Boston

Brown’s comments following Boston’s playoff collapse became a story almost as quickly as the elimination itself. The All-Star criticized Joel Embiid’s style of play, questioned officiating, publicly challenged ESPN and Stephen A. Smith, and repeatedly defended what he viewed as the best season of his career despite the Celtics’ first-round exit.

Hardaway spoke on why Brown could not return to Boston regardless of what the return package looked like. “He couldn’t go back because of what he was saying,” Hardaway said. “Whatever he was saying, to me, what he was saying was, ‘Y’all disrespected me. I held this down while he was out.’ All that was true. But the thing is, he felt like everybody was on Tatum. And I appreciate him. But my thing is, sometimes you got to leave that alone. He didn’t.”

Brown later called the season the “favorite” of his career, argued that his controversial reputation played a role in his All-NBA snub and publicly accused ESPN of unethical coverage while exchanging words with Stephen A. Smith. Those appearances fueled debate over whether the Celtics star had become too focused on the conversation surrounding the team instead of moving on from its disappointing finish.

Brown maintained throughout the offseason that he had delivered the best campaign of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists while leading Boston to a 56-26 record after Jayson Tatum appeared in just 16 regular-season games. Whether or not Hardaway believes those frustrations were justified, the Hall of Famer argued that airing them so publicly made Brown’s departure from Boston almost unavoidable.