Gilbert Arenas Blasts Modern Players For Missing Games While Allen Iverson Had To Apologize For Missing Practice

Former NBA guard explains why load management is a disgrace to the NBA.

4 Min Read

Credit: Fadeaway World

In a now iconic clip, 76ers legend Allen Iverson had to answer a wave of questions from reporters after he missed a team practice. Meanwhile, today, players are unapologetically skipping out on entire games for no other reason than to rest. Speaking on his podcast, former league guard Gilbert Arenas highlighted these differences as he flamed the modern NBA for normalizing load management. 

“Y’all should be apologizing because he missed practice…Played in the game…They are missing games and none of y’all are saying sh*t. When the game comes, he was there 100%, he was playing 1,000 miles an hour, he’s giving you his all. Y’all crucified this man for that and now y’all are putting rules in to miss games.”

Load management has become an increasingly volatile subject over the past few years. On the one hand, lightening the load for players can pay off for everyone since it typically leads to fewer injuries and better playoff series. On the other hand, load management takes away the live game experience for fans, who pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to attend games and watch these players compete. Clearly, Arenas has no problem letting us know which side he’s on.


Allen Iverson’s Practice Rant Is Legendary

Back in the day, before load management was ever really a thing, players were held accountable if they didn’t show up for team activities. In the case of Iverson, he was getting absolutely torched by the media and fans at the time for claims that he was absent from team practices. In the end, he was forced to respond to the critics with a long and passionate rant: “We sitting in here — I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talking about practice,” he said. Iverson later admitted that it was a particularly tough period for him, which included the death of his best friend.

Regardless of the details, Iverson’s iconic rant swept the entire basketball world at the time and he couldn’t believe how people were coming at him for poor practice habits. And yet, despite all that, Iverson always made sure to not only show up for games but to give his all every time a win was on the table. The same cannot be said of most NBA athletes today, who are happy to take a night off whenever they feel like it.


NBA’s War On Load Management

Interestingly, the NBA is also taking a stance on the load management issue. After initially enabling the practice, the league has since retracted support for the tradition, claiming that there’s no evidence it achieves the intended results. In the case of Kawhi Leonard, who has suffered numerous injuries in spite of his history with load management, the practice doesn’t really seem to be working at all.

Practically, the league has implemented a number of rule changes to help encourage participation, including potential fines for teams who rest more than one star at a time. And while we don’t yet know how effective these rules will be, many fans and players are happy that something is finally being done.

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Nico Martinez is a veteran staff writer for Fadeaway World from Brooklyn, New York. He joined Fadeaway World in 2016 and is currently residing in Columbia, South Carolina. Nico holds a degree in Sports Management from Columbia International University where he built a strong foundation in the inner workings of sports media and management. Nico's contributions have significantly enhanced the credibility and depth of Fadeaway World's content, earning him recognition across the sports journalism community. His work has been discussed in prestigious publications like Sports Illustrated. A dedicated follower of LeBron James, Nico often leads coverage on news related to the basketball star. With nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, Nico consistently provides comprehensive and timely basketball news, engaging a wide audience of basketball enthusiasts.Nico's most desired player to interview, past or present, is Kevin Durant. He is particularly keen on asking Durant if he has any regrets about his career, especially concerning his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and why he engages so much with fans on social media. 
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