LeBron Calls Out NBA For Valuing Of Wealth Over Health

 LeBron James who’s arguably the biggest name in NBA right now, was not happy with the current state of the league. 

 James took to social media earlier this week to highlight the numerous tissue related injuries that has taken place in this hurried, shortened season. He apologized to fans who missed out on seeing some of the biggest names in the league play due to injury, including his teammate Anthony Davis who suffered tissue injuries that propelled the Lakers to an early first round exit against the Suns. The reason for the injuries was attributed to the feverish pace in which the season started. The 2020 bubble season ended in October and this new shortened season started by Christmas.  The original proposed time of return was after January possibly around MLK’s birthday, but money influenced the decision.

 LeBron as well as all of us are aware of the business of Basketball. NBA stood to lose millions in TV rights deal which in turn would effect players and owners financially ( CBA’s profit sharing agreement) . Those media rights needed to be protected to ensure future success but at what cost. 

  Those in the know in NBA circles do not disagree with James. They do believe he’s grandstanding a little bit to keep his name relevant with his new movie “Space Jam” releasing. They get it, we get it but is it worth it.

In defense of the league’s position NBA spokesperson Mike Bass noted injury rates “were virtually the same this season as they were during the 2019-20 season while starter-level and All-Star players missed games due to injury at similar rates as the last three seasons.” 

 In my opinion I can clearly see the benefits of rest and the dangers of muscle overuse. Being a basketball trainer myself i encourage my athletes to rest and recover as much as possible, but I find it hard to tell hoopers that they have to miss a game or tournament to prevent future injury. Once the dates were  sent players could have voiced there concerns and organizations could have implemented load management to prevent tissue injuries. LeBron James does have a point in what is being said but he is not just part of business but a critical part the business, the face of the league if you will. The NBA will seek significant increases in rights, perhaps up to $75 billion, when its deal is up after the 2024-25 season. So, sacrificing content and losing fan engagement is risky. And the league was already missing 40% percent of its revenue with no fans in arenas due to the pandemic. Hence, it knew the consequences and valued the health of its business more than James’ concerns.  So he did benefit greatly by the league meeting their media rights obligations. We as fans missed a possible repeat of Lakers or Brooklyn’s big 3  in all their glory, or even Kawhi matching step for step with Playoff P but who knows anything is possible in the world of basketball.