NBA legend Michael Jordan has thoughts on load management in today’s game.
The Chicago Bulls icon called out players sitting out of games to rest, saying that he would never miss a game if he could avoid it because of his duty to the fans.
“It shouldn’t be needed, first and foremost,” Jordan said on NBC’s MJ: Insights to Excellence. “I never wanted to miss a game, because it was an opportunity to prove. It was something that I felt like, you know, the fans were there, they’re watching me play. I want to impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his ass off to get a ticket, or to get money to buy the ticket.”
Jordan also referenced his iconic flu game against the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals, where he pushed through illness in a pivotal Game 5.
“I was gonna find a way to get out there, even if I was a decoy,” he said. “Once I got out there, pushing yourself, you never know what happens, right?”
Load management wasn’t much of a thing in the NBA until the last decade or so. If a player didn’t have an injury, he was expected to play 82 games. Jordan played 82 games in six of his 15 NBA seasons, and he played fewer than 80 games just four times.
But as injuries and fatigue added up, many coaches decided it was time to let players rest every now and then to ensure they are fully healthy come playoff time. In the defense of players, there are several factors that have led to more players sitting out.
The pace of play has increased, and players have gotten stronger and more athletic, which in turn leads to harder hits and a more taxing four quarters of basketball in general.
On the surface, the concept of load management makes plenty of sense, but load management may not actually prevent injuries, as a report from the NBA last year found no link between players being load-managed and having a reduced risk of injury.
No matter what the numbers say, it appears load management is here to stay. That doesn’t mean Jordan and other players who played before load management are going to be okay with it.
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