The issue of load management has been hotly debated within the NBA lately.
Load management is essentially when players sit out of games to keep themselves healthy and preserve their energy for upcoming games.
In other words, it’s basically a night off for players who could probably play but choose not to.
.@Rjeff24 shared a powerful message on load management in the NBA: pic.twitter.com/viewFKM5P3
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 26, 2023
Several NBA analysts and commentators have spoken out about load management recently, including former player Richard Jefferson, who told a personal story on ESPN.
He spoke of his days as a young NBA fan and how his family was able to afford just one ticket for young Jefferson to go see his favorite star, David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, play.
Jefferson said he feels for the fans who get so excited to see their heroes play, only to miss out on the chance because of load management.
“If David Robinson wouldn’t have played in that game, I get emotional thinking about that,” Jefferson said.
He isn’t the only one sounding off about this tactic.
Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, Bill Simmons, and others have been vocal about how unfair it’s been for fans.
The debate blew up recently online when a fan flew thousands of miles to see Jimmy Butler play only for Butler to sit out due to “lower back soreness”.
The young fan eventually got to meet Butler and walked away with a grab bag full of goodies but many people still said it was wrong for him to miss the star playing because of load management.
Fans are spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to see their idols – don’t they deserve for them to play nightly?
How can the NBA fix this?
They could shorten the season by just ten games and give players much more time to rest and eliminate the need for load management.
But right now, it is unclear if they will do anything.
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