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LeBron James is firing back at criticism aimed at modern players.
During NBC’s Insight to Excellence segment, NBA great Michael Jordan called out the new era of players for sitting out to load manage instead of playing all 82 games.
“You know I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove… it was something that I felt like the fans are there to watch me play. I want to impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his a– off to get a ticket or to give money to buy the ticket.”
“You play basketball two and a half hours a day, three hours. Right? That’s your job. What do you get paid to do as an NBA player? What are doing another twenty-one hours? To me that when you should be preparing for your next day of work or next challenge.”
“I always felt like one, it was a sense of pride for the fans that are paying. Two, making sure I stay sharp. And three, as a team to always be there. It can disrupt, you know, disrupt that synergy that’s happening.”
“You play basketball for 2.5 to 3 hours a day. That’s your job. That’s what you get paid to do. What are you doing the other 21 hours?”
— Michael Jordan on load management
(via @NBAonNBC, h/t @Ballislife)pic.twitter.com/RsngA2ndpP
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 29, 2025
During the latest episode of the Mind The Game podcast, LeBron explained why it’s tougher to play 82 games in the modern NBA compared to the 80s and 90s. According to the Lakers star, the pace of today’s game results in more injuries, and requires players to get more rest.
“The game is different. I want people/our fans to understand playing 82 games in the 80s and 90s is not the same as playing 82 games in the 2020s. It’s just not. The way we play with the level of pace and speed we play at, it’s a different game now. It’s a lot of soft tissue injuries now because of it… when I first came in the league the biggest concern for injuries was like a high ankle sprain… Now you see the new high ankle sprain is the calf. Hopefully we get a handle on that from a medical standpoint but I just want the fans to understand the game is a little different”
LeBron James wants fans to understand it’s harder to play 82 games today than it was in the 80s or 90s 👀
“The game is different. I want people/our fans to understand playing 82 games in the 80s and 90s is not the same as playing 82 games in the 2020s. It’s just not. The way we… https://t.co/dbLaM8VgO7 pic.twitter.com/G8LtPZd5pQ
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) January 27, 2026
LeBron’s critics immediately fired back at him over his comments.
Private jets, chefs, cryotherapy, load management, $50M salaries.
But it’s harder to play 82 games. https://t.co/U2qY8hmTU7
— OLDSKOOLBBALL (@oldskoolbballx) January 27, 2026
80s and 90s actually had fast or just as fast paces.
They also didn’t have private jets, elite medical staff AND advancements, and even crazier salaries to supplement health for themselves.
They just took the JOB of being a professional athlete more serious than athletes today. https://t.co/bxLornpat8
— BVS (@BTheLastHope) January 28, 2026