LeBron James Sounds Off on NBA for Rash of Playoff Injuries
By Peter Dewey
There have been more All-Stars injured in these NBA playoffs than any other postseason ever, and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is not a fan.
Following today’s news that Chris Paul (health and safety protocols) and Kawhi Leonard (right knee injury) could both miss significant time, the NBA was up to eight different All-Stars that would miss a game with an injury this postseason and Paul would make nine if he can’t clear the health and safety protocols in time for the Western Conference Finals.
All-Stars Injured During 2021 NBA Playoffs
James Harden (hamstring)
Kyrie Irving (ankle)
Kawhi Leonard (knee)
Anthony Davis (groin)
Jaylen Brown (wrist)
Mike Conley (hamstring)
Joel Embiid (knee)
Donovan Mitchell (ankle)
James, who was not a fan of the league’s decision to rush into the 2020-21 campaign in order to get back on a regular schedule, sounded off on Twitter at the league’s decision, claiming that the lack of rest has led to more injuries.
They all didn’t wanna listen to me about the start of the season. I knew exactly what would happen. I only wanted to protect the well being of the players which ultimately is the PRODUCT & BENEFIT of OUR GAME! These injuries isn’t just “PART OF THE GAME”. It’s the lack of PURE
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 16, 2021
RIM REST rest before starting back up. 8, possibly 9 ALL-STARS has missed Playoff games(most in league history). This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing a ton of our fav players. It’s insane. If there’s one person that know about the body and how it
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 16, 2021
works all year round it’s ME! I speak for the health of all our players and I hate to see this many injuries this time of the year. Sorry fans wish you guys were seeing all your fav guys right now. ???
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 16, 2021
James isn’t wrong, there are a lot of things about this season that haven’t looked right in hindsight.
Due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols, many teams were forced to play rescheduled games in the second half of the season, and there was a very short offseason from the 2020 playoffs that ended in the Orlando, Fla. bubble last year.
Some of the injuries, like Irving’s, have been freak accidents in games, but others (like Harden, Davis and Conley) have shown general wear-and-tear on these player’s bodies.
Right now, WynnBET has the Brooklyn Nets (+175) as the favorite to win this year’s title with the Utah Jazz (+275) in second. BetSided’s Iain MacMillan explained how Utah’s health could help it take the title this year.
That’s what this postseason has become, which team is going to stay healthy.
The healthiest team will win the championship this year..wow
— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) June 16, 2021
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the playoffs play out, but LeBron has a legitimate gripe with the way the league handled the 2020-21 season.