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NBA superstar LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has qualified for exception to the league’s new resting rule and several fans have cried foul over it.
In a bid to clamp down on load management which has become prevalent in recent seasons, the NBA recently passed a new rule that puts a cap on how often teams can rest their star players by not letting them play in certain games.
As per published reports, the league will start imposing fines, starting at $100,000, for resting star players in nationally televised and in-season tournament games or for resting multiple stars during the same game.
The term “star player” under the new policy refers to anyone who has been named to an All-NBA or All-Star team in the past three seasons.
However, reports also have it that some players who fit this criteria will be exempted from the policy, including 38-year-old LeBron James.
Also, the league will pre-approve load management for stars who are 35 years old by the opening night or have amassed 34,000 regular-season minutes or a combined 1,000 regular-season and playoff games.
No sooner after LeBron James' exemption, fans made their thoughts known, underscoring that giving players a “pass” is akin to giving special treatment to certain players, which they said leaves a bad impression.
Some fans wrote on X (formerly Twitter) about the “biased” treatment given to four-time NBA champion James.
Some suggested that if such is the case, then LeBron James might as well call it a career.
In addition, under the NBA’s new rest policy, teams can seek pre-approval to sit players who have extensive injury histories, but it is to be determined on a case-by-case basis. The NBA also will consider exceptions for players with personal reasons, a bona fide injury, roster management, and late-season flexibility.
Other players who qualify or are eligible for the rest policy exception under the criteria provided
· Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
· Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns)
· Chris Paul (Golden State Warriors)
· James Harden (Philadelphia 76ers)
· DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls)
· Mike Conley (Minnesota Timberwolves)
