It is said that the best ability is availability, and it definitely seems to be missing in today’s NBA, with load management being so prevalent.
Ex-players, as well as talking heads on television, have all been putting the players on blast for sitting out of games with such regularity, and it would appear that Michael Jordan predicted it would come to this all the way back in 2003.
“20 years from now, you will never see someone play sick or get out on the floor with a sore ankle.”
MJ knew the future. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/wpGIV8nlf6
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) February 24, 2023
Sitting out of games just wasn’t in MJ’s DNA. He played all 82 games in 9 of his 15 seasons and didn’t miss a single game from March 1995 to June 1998! He pushed through the pain barrier and had the famous ‘Flu Game’ in the 1997 NBA Finals when he played in Game 5 despite being sick. While it would be unfair to say that today’s players sit out of games every time they face some minor issue, they definitely aren’t as determined to make sure they get on the court every single night.
John Stockton And Kendrick Perkins Blasted Players For Load Management
Speaking of ex-players coming out on load management, two more came out against it recently. Hall of Famer and Utah Jazz legend John Stockton, who played all 82 games an astonishing 16 times in his career, felt it was not okay for players to sit out of games and said it is a real danger for the league.
Kendrick Perkins was a lot harsher, going as far as to say that it was disrespectful to the fans as well as the players who came before them. He spoke on how the legends of the past made it a point to play night in and night out and claimed that when it comes to mental toughness, today’s players are softer than funeral music.
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