When we look at how most sports leagues are ran, the common thing seen is players won’t have power like the team owners and management does. This is not the case with the National Basketball Association (NBA), where players have huge influences, not just within the sport itself, but outside in the social world as well. That influence wasn’t on any bigger display than it was during the league’s free agency period, where players literally were able to swing the balance of power with their moves, even if they had multiple years left on their contracts. So who gets most of the credit for starting this movement of player empowerment? Look no further than Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.
In pointing to James as the person who should get credit for starting this era of player empowerment, it isn’t to say he’s the first to use his stance to get what he wants. Going back to when Michael Jordan played, players would use their leverage to get as much money as they can. What I am saying is LeBron is one the first players to use his stature to get what he’s looking for, while keeping the pressure on the team he’s playing for at the same time. By pressure, I mean in ways like signing other players to fit James’s game, and getting his friends paid also (see the deals signed by Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson and Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for context). Overall, I definitely understand if a player wants to exercise leverage, because in the business world, a team would be quick to let him or her go if they don’t think he or she can no longer produce at a high level. At the same token, a squad has to ask when it’s too much for a player who is probably going to leave anyway.
LeBron, to look at things objectively, did spend the first seven seasons of his career with the Cavaliers, who drafted him No. 1 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. After that, it was the summer of 2010, when James announced he would be “taking his talents to South Beach,” and signing with the Miami Heat. In doing so, LeBron would join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the No. 5 and 4 picks in the same draft James was in, and form a “superteam.” I’m sure I don’t have to explain the significance of this move, but it stands out because the balance of power literally swung in the Heat’s favor just from that decision. After joining Miami, there would be other moves made to make sure the roster was to LeBron’s liking. From the outside, it may look like everything is great, because the team James is on is instantly (until last season) in contention for a title. Having said that, there seems to be a lot teams who have the player widely viewed as the best basketball player in the world have to deal with in order to have that luxury.
After four years, and two championships, with the Heat, James would leave Miami and come back to play with the Cavaliers in the summer of 2014. There were some who thought he left because he couldn’t control the team like he wanted, because the president of the team was Pat Riley, who is best known for being the coach of the showtime Lakers during the 80s. Upon his arrival in Cleveland, expectations changed for the Cavs, going from a team who was building towards the future, to a team who has to win right now. The head coach at the time, David Blatt, was brought on to help develop the young talent, led by point guard Kyrie Irving (more on him later). Now, it was how to manage a player who believes he’s the smartest in the room. Andrew Wiggins, who was drafted by the Cavs in with the No. 1 pick in 2014, was all of a sudden traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves to bring in Kevin Love. This team had James’ fingerprints all over it, so much in some’s, estimations that he might as well have the title of player-coach, general manager and owner. Blatt would later be fired in favor of assistant coach Tyronn Lue, another move that had LeBron’s preferences. Now, it’s the Lakers who seem to be at the mercy of James. Over the past few months, Luke Walton has been replaced by Frank Vogel as the head coach, and the man who helped bring LeBron to Los Angeles, Magic Johnson, suddenly stepped down as team president and went scorched Earth on every associated with the team. Only the people inside know for sure, but I can understand if someone thought LeBron was a reason these changes happened.
In following the career of James, one thing that sticks out to me his his passive-aggressiveness. He’ll have you believe he’s just the player, and he has nothing to do with any of the personel moves. That stance in and of itself is laughable when you consider this is the NBA we’re talking about. In a league where players have a lot of power, it would be hard to believe the most powerful player sits back and does nothing. The Lakers just got Anthony Davis in a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. James and Davis have the same agent in Rich Paul. I think we’re teasing ourselves if we think that had nothing to do with the trade pulling through. Those deals with Thompson and Caldwell-Pope, they probably don’t get done without the influence of James and his camp. Those two also have Paul as their agents. Bottom line, a lot of stuff doesn’t get down unless James gives the OK. What teams have decided is having LeBron is worth the headache, as long as they have the chance to play in June. Back to Cleveland, Irving didn’t think it was worth his sanity, as he would demand a trade. He got his wish, and went to the Boston Celtics. That’s part of that player empowerment James has lead. Sometimes it can be a gift, and other times it can be a curse. Lately, it’s looking more like a curse.
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