The NBA Board of Governors gave its approval to a new policy in September, primarily targeting star players. The NBA has sent a clear message with the new NBA participation policy and penalty – it wants healthy players on the court.
Players are in agreement and have no interest in sitting out games.
While some players aren’t fans of load management, much like the fans who question why some of the world’s finest athletes frequently need rest, they also want the league to recognize that there are times, as seen during Kawhi Leonard’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors, when they must heed their bodies or medical advice.
Star Reacts to The New NBA Participation Policy
“I was coming from an injury and you have to know the details of the doctor,” explained Leonard, who now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. “But if the league is seeing or trying to mock what I did with the Raptors, they should stop because I was injured the whole year. But other than that, if I’m able to play, I’ll play basketball. I’ll work out every day in the summertime to play the game, not to sit and watch people play. No league policy is helping me to play more games.”
Some of Leonard’s previous absences are the very type of situations the NBA aims to address with its Player Participation Policy, which takes effect this season. For example, he missed 22 games in 2018-19 as the Raptors aimed to prevent overuse following his return from a thigh injury that had limited him to just nine games the previous season. The league believes that scheduled nights off, commonly referred to as load management, have become too frequent – and potentially detrimental if they discourage viewership.
“I think the league is trying to figure out ways to make our game better, to help grow the game, understanding that fan engagement is important for all of us,” commented CJ McCollum, president of the players’ association and guard for the New Orleans Pelicans. “As a fan of sports, when you go to a game, you want the stars to play. You’re paying a premium on the ticket … or maybe it’s the cable package or whatever you have, you want to see the best players play.”
The policy prohibits teams from resting multiple star players (defined as those who have been All-NBA or All-Star selections in the prior three seasons) in the same game or sitting healthy players during nationally televised games or in-season tournament matches without prior approval.
The league has also threatened to investigate specific absences, imposing penalties that could exceed $1 million if a team commits three violations.
“Obviously the NBA is always trying to find a way to get the best players playing. And why? Well, because we want people to tune into their TVs and watch,” noted Michael Malone, coach of the NBA champion Denver Nuggets. “And they’re going to watch when the best players show up every night and play.”
This has been happening far too infrequently in recent years. Despite the league reducing back-to-back games and improving team travel conditions, some top players rarely come close to playing all 82 games. Players often receive criticism from fans, but Commissioner Adam Silver, well before the new policy’s introduction in September, acknowledged that it is frequently teams making the decisions about player rest.
“I think the league’s approach in trying to get players to player more, I think that’s great. I’m trying to play as many games as I possibly can,” stated Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics. “It don’t always be the players. I know that’s the narrative, that it’s the players that decide not to play. I won’t go into detail, but that’s not always the case.”
Another new policy directly impacts players. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that, in most cases, players must participate in a minimum of 65 regular-season games to be eligible for awards like MVP or the All-NBA teams.
“I think there are guys across the league that may sit out because they don’t want to play or they want to rest or whatever it may be. But I think playing a minimum of 65 games, I think that’s smart for the league, for the fans, for everybody,” said Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat. “This is a business at the end of the day. A lot of people come to watch us play. I wouldn’t want to be a fan that came to see me play and I’m not playing because I don’t want to.”
Marcus Smart, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award last season in Boston, certainly wouldn’t want to disqualify himself this season by missing too many games. But like Leonard, he won’t be swayed by the league’s new rule.
“I can care less what anybody says about that, because they’re not out there throwing their body around like I am,” emphasized Smart, now with the Memphis Grizzlies. “So I don’t see how you can tell me when I should and shouldn’t play. If I don’t feel like I can play, then I’m not playing. But if I’m available and I can play, best believe I’m going.”
Comments