CINCINNATI: Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James and German NBA star Dirk Nowitzki say the league needs to look at shortening its 82-game per club regular-season schedule.
Both players spoke out this week in the wake of the league planning an exhibition game that lasts only 44 minutes instead of the usual 48.
James and Nowitzki say it’s the length of the season, not the games in it, that causes troubles, and they would both be willing to take less money.
“Less games is less concessions and less tickets and all that, but at the end of the day we want to protect the prize, and the prize is the players,” James said Wednesday. “If guys are being injured because there’s so many games, we can’t promote it at a high level.”
Indiana star Paul George will miss the upcoming season after breaking his leg in a scrimmage for the US team that went on to win the Basketball World Cup, while five-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City is out at least two months with a broken foot.
“I’m not saying it’s because of the amount of games, but anything will help,” James said of the physical stress on players. AFP
