So that moment when LeBron pretended to hit a joint after bricking a layup against Houston? Yeah, that was actually pretty telling about how much things have shifted in professional sports.

Most people caught the entertainment value of him sharing the imaginary smoke with Christian Wood, but what really stood out was how nobody from the league even blinked. A few years back, that kind of thing would've triggered all sorts of consequences. Now it barely registers as noteworthy.

The NBA officially stopped testing players for cannabis back in March, which basically put them in line with what baseball, hockey and the NFL were already doing. So LeBron's little moment on court wasn't risky anymore - it was just him being himself.

What's wild is thinking back to how differently things used to play out. Allen Iverson and Ricky Williams faced serious fallout for marijuana use back in the day. But that era feels completely different now. The whole conversation around weed in sports has fundamentally changed.

It's not like LeBron is suddenly becoming an advocate or anything. The guy's obsessed with his fitness and wine collection - the pantomime was more about humor and team bonding than making some grand statement. But it absolutely signals something bigger happening culturally.

Meanwhile, you've got all these former NBA legends who've been open about their own cannabis use for years. Iverson literally started smoking in college and now he's partnered with Al Harrington on cannabis products through Viola Brands. Kareem, Kevin Durant, Isiah Thomas - they've all spoken up about legalization. Even guys like Calvin Johnson and Ben Wallace showed up at cannabis industry conferences.

The fact that does LeBron smoke weed is now just casual locker room conversation instead of career-threatening scandal says everything about where we are as a society. The torch has definitely been passed here.