LeBron James will have ‘support of most players’ if he wants to play

USA TODAY’s Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina report that the players will follow the lead of LeBron James, rather than Kyrie Irving.

There have been several issues brought up over the past few days by Brooklyn Nets star and NBPA vice president Kyrie Irving with regards to the merits of the league returning to play at a quarantined site at Walt Disney World. But one important voice that is not involved in those calls has been LeBron James. In reading the tea leaves, James appears to be intent on finishing the season while also advocating for social justice and leading a new non-profit to tackle voter suppression, More Than A Vote, which he unveiled last week.

But where LeBron stands is ultimately a guiding light for the players, according to the latest reporting from our NBA duo Mark Medina and Jeff Zillgitt, whose reporting also suggests players will find common ground and the season will continue as scheduled on July 30.

While the NBA and players have issues to resolve, two people familiar with talks between the two sides told USA TODAY Sports they expect to find common ground and play the season. Another person told USA TODAY Sports that as long as Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James still wants to resume the season, he will have the support of most players. The people were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the sensitive nature of these discussions.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that James feels this way, or that his stance is ultimately the most influential in the league among his peers. On Sunday, Clippers guard Patrick Beverley eluded to the same dynamic, that LeBron will lead the way on this issue.

It appears that while there are still issues that need to be worked out with the NBA and the players before they get to Orlando, an attempt to finish the season at Disney World is still the most likely end to this journey.

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