There hasn’t been a shortage of NBA news since Wednesday began, but it’s primarily been bad news at the forefront.
One of the biggest headlines of the day involved Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard hurting his ACL in Game 4 against the Utah Jazz. The team ruled him out for Game 5 and indefinitely going forward.
Leonard’s injury is just the latest casualty for players around the league, especially All-Stars.
Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz hasn’t played in any of the games against the Clippers with an injury. Donovan Mitchell, Conley’s backcourt partner, has also been hampered recently.
The Brooklyn Nets have seen James Harden and Kyrie Irving miss games with lower-leg injuries.
Boston Celtics rising star Jaylen Brown didn’t play in the playoffs because he needed surgery, and Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is playing with a meniscus issue.
The L.A. Lakers faced multiple issues. LeBron James’ ankle injury never returned to 100%, and Anthony Davis couldn’t play in crucial playoff games because of a groin strain. Davis also dealt with a calf strain in the regular season that caused him to miss 36 games.
The injury list continues, but all of it has culminated in James being fed up: He blasted the NBA on Twitter for not protecting the players:
They all didn’t wanna listen to me about the start of the season. 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 isn’t just “PART OF THE GAME”. It’s the lack of PURE
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 16, 2021
works all year round it’s ME! 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. 🙏🏾👑
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 16, 2021
And I know all about the business side too/factors so don’t even try me! I get it.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 16, 2021
James also offered his thoughts to Leonard:
🙏🏾 to the 🖐🏾Klaw
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 16, 2021
The Lakers and Miami Heat dealt with a 70-day offseason after making it to the NBA Finals in the Orlando bubble, and both teams were eliminated in the first round of this year’s playoffs.
The league trimmed the regular season to 72 games instead of the normal 82, but many games happened in quick succession. There were many one-day rests and back-to-backs for all teams.
Eight of the last 10 regular-season games for the Lakers happened on a back-to-back, which summed up the limited amount of rest players received — and ultimately why James is frustrated about how it’s affecting the players around the league.
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