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No other player in the NBA is more vocal or has more power than LeBron James. The LA Lakers star has just finished his 18th season in the league and has achieved everything there is to do with his illustrious career as a four-time champion.
He has been very outspoken on social media on current issues, whether they be to do with the NBA or in wider society. At the beginning of the season, LeBron James complained about the shortened offseason and warned that it would have a detrimental effect on the health of the players.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Kawhi Leonard had potentially torn his ACL and would miss the rest of the playoffs for the LA Clippers. LeBron did not hold back in his response to the current issue.
Leonard became the latest in a long list of NBA All-Stars to be injured in the postseason. Therefore, there is some reasoning for James' anger. In this article, we will examine whether what he said is justified.
Is LeBron James' criticism of the NBA fair?
The NBA was thrown into disarray when the coronavirus pandemic took hold and suspended for the 2019-20 season. While no fans were allowed into the venues, they were still allowed to enjoy the 'bubble' action from home. The league's governing body came away with a lot of respect from the way the end of the campaign was handled and organized.
However, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and his team have come under fire this year due to their eagerness for basketball to return to its usual schedule. Play resumed at the end of December, just over two months after the LA Lakers took home their 17th championship in Florida.
The NBA's fixture schedule has been shortened to 72 games to try and return to the regular postseason system. The lack of rest between the bubble and this campaign has caused injuries and anger among players. Most importantly from LeBron James, who suffered his own injury back in March and missed twenty straight games, the most of his career in any year.
James then didn't look right in the Lakers' series against the Phoenix Suns and struggled to play at his usual best. He wasn't helped by the fact that Anthony Davis too picked up an injury in game four that ruled him out for game five. That meant he only played five minutes in game six.
The Lakers weren't the only side to be hampered by injury, however, and this is certainly not why LeBron James has let his feelings be known. Teams across the NBA have suffered. Jaylen Brown and Jamal Murray both suffered season-ending injuries before the playoffs, scuppering the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets' chances of a deep run.
Luka Doncic struggled with nerve pain in his arm during the Mavs' series against the Clippers, while Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard has just been diagnosed with a possible ACL tear.
Over in the East, Joel Embiid has missed game time due to knee soreness, while the Brooklyn Nets have been hampered by injuries to both Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Of course, the shorter offseason in 2020 will have had an effect on the players' recovery from last year and certainly a lot of the All-Stars who have missed time playing in the bubble's playoff tournament.
However, there are several cases that cannot be attributed to fatigue or to over-exertion. Irving's sprained ankle was just sheer bad luck as he landed awkwardly, while Kawhi Leonard had ample rest throughout the season as the Clippers tried to preserve him for the playoffs.
Nevertheless, it is no coincidence that in this year's NBA playoffs, there are the highest number of All-Stars who have missed time due to injury in the league's history (8). Don't expect this to be the last we hear on the issue or how Adam Silver handles it.
Guess the Lakers players!
