NBA
Why The Stars of the NBA are Running the Asylum?
When the Toronto Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard, I had mixed emotions: On one hand, I was excited to acquire a player of Leonard’s caliber; On the other hand, I recognized that the culture in the NBA of self-entitlement among its stars had reached a fever pitch.
NBA players have too much power.
The recent trade requests (read: hostage negotiations) have become in vogue. You can’t have any contemporary status in the NBA without acting like a spoiled child. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but what do you do when the entire factory squeaks?
NBA Stars: Millennial Angst
When Anthony Davis recently passively-aggressively requested a trade through his super agent Rich Paul at Klutch Sports, it signified the final domino in the NBA’s popularity contest: You can’t be “cool” unless you demand a trade. You’re staying with the franchise that drafted you? That’s so 1992.
In this age of narcissism, is it any surprise that today’s athletes embody that selfishness with such fervour? In a time when Instagram selfies are considered conventional behaviour, can we see the extrapolation of how NBA teams (and the real life cities that go with them) are viewed as nothing more but vehicles to secure more Twitter followers?
Today’s young players are more likely to appear in a reality show than in 4th quarter minutes during crunch time. LaVar Ball taught his kids how to have their own running shoes, but Lonzo Ball still can’t hit free throws. If that’s not a metaphor for today’s generation of NBA players… There is one glaring commonality between Lonzo Ball and the Big Baller Brand shoes he represents: they’re both overpriced.
David Stern, where art thou?
Adam Silver needs to make a statement – and he needs to do it soon. The memo is out: NBA players, especially stars, can do whatever they want. Want evidence of how this belief has pervaded the next generation of NBA stars? We need look no further than Duke: where the top 3 high school basketball recruits decided to form a “super team” of their own – the NCAA version of the LeBron-led Miami Heat.
25-year old NBA stars like Davis become restless four years into legal drinking age because they “haven’t won yet”. It wasn’t so far long ago that an NBA player would graduate after 4 years of college at age 22-23, then begin their career. Today’s generation starts thinking about their “legacy” at age 22-23 – before Davis has even won more than one playoff series!
Mere days after Davis’ trade request, 23-year old potential star Kristaps Porzingis demands a trade of his own. In true social media culture fashion, his trade is executed in a matter of hours. Not months, not weeks, not even days… Approximately four hours. That much clout for an injured player with less than 2.5 years of professional experience? Madness.
What’s next? Zion Williamson gets selected with the #1 overall pick, then demands a trade “immediately” because he wants to “win now”? I’m only half-joking.
Kawhi Leonard’s Enigmatic Nature
As a Raptors fan, I cannot help but wonder how much narcissism our current best player, Leonard, has inside of him? He’s so quiet, so how can you really know what’s going on inside his head?
Is he the best two-way player in the NBA? Perhaps. Will he lead the league in PER? It’s a possibility. How’s his game? He’s an excellent player.
No, his game?
What?
His selfie game?
You lost me.
And with that, the NBA turned into just another way to promote your album.
Follow us on Twitter: @T101Sports @T101SportsNBA
Follow us on YouTube:
Subscribe to get the latest news from TSJ and the TSJ 101 Sports TV YouTube channel! Play and win weekly at Thrive Fantasy!
Photo Credit
James Anderson via Flickr
