LeBron James called out the NBA after it was announced that Kawhi Leonard would be sidelined with a right knee injury — adding to the list of players who have been injured during the playoffs.
On Wednesday (June 16), the Los Angeles Lakers star took to Twitter to share his frustration with the league’s decision to start the season quickly after they won the NBA Championship last year. “They all didn’t wanna listen to me about the start of the season,” he tweeted. “I knew exactly what would happen. I only wanted to protect the well-being of the players which ultimately is the PRODUCT & BENEFIT of OUR GAME! These injuries [aren’t] just ‘PART OF THE GAME.’”
He continued, “It’s the lack of PURE RIM REST rest before starting back up. 8, possibly 9 ALL-STARS [have] missed Playoff games (most in league history). This is the best time of the year for our league and fans, but missing a ton of our fav players. It’s insane.”
“If there’s one person that knows about the body and how it works all year round it’s ME!” James added. “I speak for the health of all our players and I hate to see this many injuries this time of the year. Sorry fans. Wish you guys were seeing all your fav guys right now.”
Leonard was ruled out for Wednesday’s (June 16) playoff game against the Utah Jazz. According to ESPN, he is the eighth All-Star to miss a playoff game this year, which is the most in NBA history.
Earlier Wednesday, REVOLT reported that Chris Paul tested positive for COVID-19 and could possibly miss the start of the Western Conference finals. If he is not cleared in time, he will become the ninth All-Star to miss a playoff game this year.
Check out King James’ tweets below.