The NBA is in full swing as the free agency period officially opened last week. Currently, a historic seven-team trade is being finalized and is expected to go through once all deals are processed on July 6.
However, this season has also seen a troubling number of gruesome injuries — enough to reignite discussions about possibly reducing the league’s 82-game schedule. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, though, doesn’t believe such a change is likely anytime soon.
“Money is part of it, there’s no question about it. We’re a business. But having said that, I don’t really see the benefit to reducing the number of games. People used to say you should reduce the number of games because it will lead to reduction in the number of injuries. There’s absolutely no data to suggest that,” Silver said.
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, however, thinks there’s another reason the league won’t shorten the schedule — and it has everything to do with LeBron James’ pursuit of history and Michael Jordan’s lasting legacy.
“The NBA will never shorten the season — not while LeBron’s chasing history and MJ’s legacy still sets the bar. MJ played 82 like it was a full-time job… no PTO. You start trimming games, and next thing you know someone’s averaging 35 in 50 games talkin’ ‘I’m the GOAT’… Sit down, young fella,” Arenas wrote.
James currently ranks in the top ten across several major statistical categories, while Jordan is a six-time NBA champion. Both are widely regarded as two of the greatest players to ever step on a basketball court. Some even speculate that the league may be preserving the integrity of their accomplishments by resisting any schedule changes.
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LeBron has left an undeniable mark on the NBA, just as Jordan did before him. A shortened season could potentially undermine the value of the records and legacies they built. As James enters the final years of his career, one thing is clear — both he and Jordan will forever be among the most influential players the sport has ever seen.