USA TODAY Sports

ESPN's Richard Jefferson Delivers Strong Message On Load Management In The NBA

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Heat
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated 1/26/23

Former player Richard Jefferson challenged the leaguewide trend of NBA resting players during the season on a recent episode of NBA Countdown.

Jefferson did so by telling a story of his father taking him to a San Antonio Spurs game when he was a kid.

"For Christmas, my parents got me a ticket to go watch the San Antonio Spurs because David Robinson was my favorite player," Jefferson said on the pregame show. "One ticket. My dad, who worked security and scrubbed floors and did all this stuff, he dropped me off at the game. He gave me $5 and I went in there by myself because my family couldn't afford to come to the game."

It has become an issue when fans pay big money to see their favorite stars only for the players to sometimes skip games for rest purposes. On Wednesday, a Miami Heat fan flew more than 4,000 miles to see Jimmy Butler but was disappointed when Butler was a late scratch because of back soreness. The Heat did offer the fan a gift package and Butler invited the family to the arena the following day for a meet-and-greet and took photos.

In most cases, it doesn't happen this way and fans are left without getting their money's worth. Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets sat out Wednesday's game against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, causing fans to miss a matchup of two MVP candidates.

Jefferson, who played 18 seasons for teams that included the Brooklyn Nets, Spurs and Golden State Warriors, said that is only half the issue.

"Every day that I stepped on the floor, I remembered my father," Jefferson said. "I remember having one ticket and being there ... If David Robinson wouldn't have played in that game, I get emotional thinking about that."

Jefferson refused to fault the players. He put it more on the organizations.

"I blame the teams. I blame the training staff," Jefferson said. "The players in this generation are doing more of what they're told than going out there and leaving it on the floor."

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Heat and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: