Stephen A Smith praises LeBron James and James Harden while criticizing other stars for load management: “Superstars have to play when they are healthy enough to play”

Tonoy Sengupta | 10/04/2021
Stephen A Smith praises LeBron James and James Harden while criticizing other stars for load management: "Superstars have to play when they are healthy enough to play"

Stephen A. Smith calls for the NBA’s biggest stars to follow the example of LeBron James and James Harden and play every available game.

LeBron James and James Harden are unquestionably among the biggest superstars the league has to offer right now. Both players have been integral for their respective teams this season, and have pretty strong cases for MVP.

But while Harden continues to fight on for the Brooklyn Nets at the moment, James recently went down with a high ankle sprain and has been sidelined ever since.

But what many don’t know is, this injury was caused by playing every game for the franchise up to that point, despite having a weak ankle since the start of the season. And apparently, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith believes this is something other NBA superstars need to learn as well.

Also Read: Kevin Durant pays homage to the Splash brothers while praising Joe Harris

Stephen A. Smith rips into healthy superstars sitting out games

As many NBA fans know by now, the TV ratings for the league’s games have been dropping for a while now. Different players, analysts, and executives have cited the pandemic to be the main problem here. However, Stephen A. Smith has a completely different opinion.

While the infamous analyst’s opinion may sound harsh at first, we must say it does make sense. At the end of the day, the NBA is a show, and the superstars are the ones who’re pulling the crowd.

If the superstars decide not to gear up, the most attractive facet of the league goes away. And when that happens fewer people tend to tune into games. Which in turn results in a drop in TV ratings.

But, while it is admirable for LeBron James and James Harden to seldom take a day off, one of them is already facing consequences. The King sustained a slight ankle injury during the first game of this season.

At the time, many believed he should have taken rest, even if he could play. But, as previously mentioned, he never did, and in the end, suffered a far more serious injury on the same ankle.

So, it essentially comes down to finding the right balance between the two sides. And if the league can find and enforce a method to do just that, the TV ratings issue could go away for good.

Also Read: When Scottie Pippen sided with the Lakers star in the GOAT debate

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Brooklyn Nets James Harden kyrie irving LA Lakers LeBron James NBA Stephen A Smith

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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