Though a plan to return and finish out the 2019-20 NBA season has been agreed upon by both the owners and players, there has recently been some push back from some players.
Kyrie Irving has been the leader, and Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard has openly explained being in support of possibly not finishing the season as well. One person who wasn’t on the massive Zoom call about that possibility was Howard’s Lakers teammate, LeBron James.
James is undoubtedly the face of the NBA and one of the most outspoken athletes the world has ever seen. By all accounts LeBron was among the stars speaking with the owners and NBA commissioner Adam Silver about a potential return so it would stand to think that he is for all players coming back.
One thing that is for sure is that James’ voice still carries a lot of weight, and L.A. Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley believes that will lead players to ultimately coming back and finishing the year.
In the midst of the ongoing discussions and debates about whether the NBA should return, Beverley took to Twitter saying that if James says he’s playing, the league will take direction from him:
Hoopers say what y’all want. If @KingJames said he hooping. We all hooping. Not Personal only BUSINESS???????????????????????? ???????? #StayWoke ✊????✊????✊????
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) June 14, 2020
This is an interesting take without a doubt, but it’s hard to disagree with. In general, the biggest stars of any sports league carries the most weight and with James not only being one of the greatest players of all-time, but also such a voice for social justice and changes in this country, his actions carry even more weight.
For Beverley, who has been one of James’ and the Lakers’ biggest rivals recently, to say something like this shows the standing that LeBron has among his NBA peers. He is the face, he is the biggest name, and if he is pushing for the players to return and finish the season, than the majority will likely follow.
There is a lot to still be figured out for the NBA and its players about what’s the best move going forward.
Everything has seemingly been agreed upon to come back, but with so much in the world going on, the question remains as to whether that is the best thing to do and the words and actions of LeBron James, as a leader both in the NBA and for social justice, will be followed very closely.