Los Angeles Lakers: Is LeBron James a hypocrite for his thoughts on load management?

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James isn’t in favor of load management. Did he make hypocritical comments about the hot-topic subject?

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James talked himself into a semantics quagmire about load management, which is a buzz-worthy topic in NBA discussion circles. Of course, his comment was construed as a subtle shot at Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.

Following a 101-96 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, a reporter asked James about rest, which made sense. The Lakers were in the middle of a five-game road trip, going against teams in the Eastern Conference.

James inadvertently tossed gasoline on to the fire between the Lakers and Clippers while adding to the load management conversation with his comments on rest.

"“Unless we’re getting to late in the season, we’ve clinched and we’ve can’t get any better or any worse,” James said. “…Why wouldn’t I play if I’m healthy?” James asked rhetorically. “It doesn’t make any sense to me, personally. I mean, I don’t know how many games I’ve left in my career. I don’t know how many kids that may show up to a game that are there to see me play.”"

Immediately, James’ response spread through the interwebs and a reporter asked Clippers head coach Doc Rivers about the subject. USA Today‘s Mark Medina captured his comments, which connects to the team’s strategy to sit Leonard on the front end of back-to-back sets.

Clearly, Rivers added spice to his remarks. Perhaps he’s still a little salty about his short title run with the Boston Celtics coinciding with James’ takeover of the Eastern Conference as a key component to the Miami Heat’s rise. That’s a different subject for another conservation.

The Clippers use load management to preserve Leonard’s health, and the league sanctioned his planned absences, per Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.

"“Kawhi Leonard is not a healthy player under the league’s resting policy, and, as such, is listed as managing a knee injury in the L.A. Clippers injury report,” league spokesman Mike Bass said. “The league office, in consultation with the NBA’s director of sports medicine is comfortable with the team medical staff’s determination that Leonard is not sufficiently healthy to play in back-to-back games at this time.”"

Now back to James, does his past give him little wiggle room to have a strong opinion against load management? Frank Isola of The Athletic pointed out a couple of instances in which the NBA star exercised his ability to rest while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. You can read what Isola said here with a paid subscription to The Athletic.

James isn’t a stranger to load management, but more than times than not, he’s on the court. Since coming into the league, the 34-year-old has played 47,207 minutes. Because of his longevity that’s the most of any player between the 2003-04 season (James’ rookie term) and the current campaign.

Going to eight consecutive NBA Finals, averaging a league high in minutes per game three times and playing all 82 contests (2017-18), put a lot of mileage on James’ body. So, if anyone deserves a rest day here or there, it’s him.

James didn’t clarify this, but he likely scoffed at the idea of milking an injury or sitting out several games without a legitimate cause. The physical nature of the game and its demands on the human body would require rest at some point, especially if your squad typically makes a deep run in the playoffs. That’s not an excuse for James, it’s a reality.

Of course, in today’s world, people will call James a hypocrite for taking a few days off in few and far between intervals, but he played 1,227 games out of a possible 1,341 outings—that’s a 91 percent attendance rate. Don’t forget, the 17th-year veteran had a legitimate groin injury that limited him to 55 appearances last season.

James isn’t immune to the need for rest through an 82-game campaign, but he’s far from the face of the load management era. Fans don’t have to guess if the 34-year-old will suit up early in the season when he’s healthy.

In a literal sense, James’ comments aren’t hypocritical, but his absolute tone is obviously a bit strong.