No Days Off?

On Oct. 20, 2018, the Toronto Raptors faced the Washington Wizards. Led by new signee Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors were anticipating a breakout season. Injuries had plagued the star, but when healthy, Leonard was an MVP-caliber player—as seen with his previous team, the San Antonio Spurs. Though the Wizards hosted the game, there were countless Leonard jerseys in the crowd. At tip-off, however, Leonard didn’t make an appearance on the court. In fact, he wasn’t even in uniform. No, the star player many fans were excited to watch was out, listed as “Rest — Kawhi Leonard, load management.”

The National Basketball Association is plagued by “load management.” In other words, players deliberately sit out games to minimize the physiological strain that accumulates throughout the season. Often, these games are missed without any injury at all—only the fear of one. Sure, players may occasionally miss a few games to ensure they are prepared for postseason action, but there are instances in which load management is abused to the point that athletes regularly sit out healthy. While a player’s health is important and minimizing the risk of injury should be paramount, is the practice of load management fair to fans?

Perhaps Leonard really did need the break, in just the third game of the season, to the point that he could not play without risk. Does that fan who traveled, who knows how far, and paid who knows how much, just to watch their favorite player, find comfort in that fact? For a sport that relies on sponsor and fan attention to be profitable, shouldn’t the players who generate that attention be expected to play? 

This simple clash between meeting expectations and preserving the team’s investment is the core of the discussion. Teams have struggled to find the right balance, and while there are many opinions on why load management has become an issue, it is more systemic than is often assumed.

Players Aren’t as Durable

Some fans argue that past players were tougher than modern players, so previously, load management was simply not a thing. These athletes didn’t need a rest, unlike the players in today’s game. Michael Jordan, aside from a season in which he broke his foot, missed only seven games over his 12 seasons with the Chicago Bulls. LeBron James, on the other hand, sat out 57 in his 12 seasons. In Jordan’s scrappier era, when more aggressive fouls were accepted, one would expect those players to miss more games than the players in James’s; why, then, did James miss so many? 

However, this line of thinking is inaccurate. There have been stars from every decade who are very injury-prone, racking up a sum of missed games. During his 14-year tenure, center Bill Walton missed 680 games: 192 more than the games he actually played. Despite this, Walton is still considered a star from the 70s and 80s. 

Conversely, there are plenty of modern players who are consistently on the court. Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks has played every single game since being drafted in 2018. With 610 games, Bridges is top 10 all-time in consecutive contests. James, despite missing those games in his first 12 seasons, sits second all-time in games played. Load management, therefore, is not a product of a sudden influx of weaker, injury-prone players.

It’s a Business

With advances in health science, perhaps athletes are more aware of the strain from playing 82 games a season. As such, load management arises to avoid injury. This argument holds much more merit than the previous one: naturally, athletes whose livelihoods depend on their ability to play the sport will want to take every precaution to prevent injuries. Otherwise, they lose out on potential wages.

No. 1 overall pick in 2007, Greg Oden, had a career derailed by persistent injuries. Despite a shortened stint in the NBA, the center earned 24 million dollars in total earnings. Who knows how much he might have made if he had been able to stay healthy? 

The next pick in that same draft, Kevin Durant, has made 457 million dollars in earnings. While many confounding factors can explain the difference in their time in the NBA, anyone would prefer to have Durant’s earnings over Oden’s. Even then, maybe Oden could have made more money by practicing load management, further increasing the number of missed games but extending his career.

The reality is, for players, the NBA is simply their job. While, of course, creating a legacy and competing to be the best is of personal importance, playing basketball is also their source of income. Why would these players not do everything they can to prolong their careers and thus their cash flow? Especially with financial incentives for further postseason journeys, there is little reason to strain one’s body throughout the entire season. However, these reasons do not make load management fair to the fans who support every game.

The Systemic Issue

With NBA stars incentivized not to play every game, whether for financial or health reasons, have we found the reason load management has become such a problem? Not entirely. While the claim that earlier players were inherently tougher doesn’t hold up, it is undeniable that far fewer of them engaged in load management than players do today. And while past stars were similarly heralded as global celebrities, today’s players nonetheless have much more leverage. 

Yes, players like Magic Johnson or Jordan were near-worshipped, but there was a certain level of expectation tied to it. These stars needed not only to play, but to shine. It wasn’t enough that they were NBA players. It wasn’t enough that they were playing consistently. They needed to constantly wow spectators with high-quality play. 

Today, these players are something more. Given how much money some stars bring in, power has shifted from ownership to the players. Alongside his longevity, James has a reputation for controlling his team’s trades, a power that no player should have. But as a front office, how can you say no? How do you tell LeBron James that he can’t always have his way? With the constant threat of players leaving in free agency, franchises must appease their players. With that appeasement comes an acceptance of the terms the player sets for load management.

Perhaps the rise of social media, which gives players the ability to talk directly to fans instead of working through the news outlets, has contributed to the evolution of a player’s expectations. Players have a greater ability to make their voices heard. Instead of a private conversation between players and coaching staff, the whole world is now involved. In any case, players have a monumental amount of control.

Is Control a Problem?

But is player control actually a problem? Is it an issue for these stars to prioritize their own health over grinding for a playoff berth or the best record? For that fan who traveled from who knows how far and paid who knows how much, yes.

At the end of the day, the NBA and other professional sports provide entertainment to fans. When players sit out games without any injury, the fans lose out. The star that they came to watch is no longer playing. That is a problem. If these players are going to be paid so much, they should earn their salaries rather than sit out games. 

Load management and player empowerment benefit athlete health. But when these two are abused, it is not the star who loses; it is not the team or even the NBA that loses: it’s the fans.

Tyler Dang ’28 (tylerdang@college.harvard.edu) is awaiting a healthy Memphis roster.