The NBA should not shorten its season

In a recent press conference ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was asked about how he and the league felt about shortening the NBA season from 82 games, a topic much talked and debated about over the past few years. Silver said the league was not against it, especially if it limited injuries. This statement seemed to open the window for it to possibly happen, and has fans buzzing. I, personally, don’t agree with shortening the season, for multiple reasons. 

One of the most viral responses to the Silver statement was from former NBA champion Richard Jefferson who, on ESPN, got out of his chair to express his distaste regarding the idea of a shortened season. Jefferson cited multiple things, one being how the NBA had already done things to prevent injury like limiting back to back games with no rest in between. He also said that NBA players have so much access to rest and recovery. Each team has their own sleep doctor, trainers, diet managers, you name it. I agree with Jefferson’s claims. Why should the season be shortened if, over the past decade, the NBA has already done so much to protect its players? These guys get paid millions of dollars to play 82 games and then the playoffs if they make it there. There is going to be injury risk and fatigue no matter what. Freak injuries to players like Derrick Rose didn’t happen because of 82 games, it just was bad luck. In addition, “load management” has become a common thing around the league. Star players who have a lot of tread on their tires can simply now sit out regardless of injury status with the league no longer heavily fining the franchise for doing so. The concept of shortening the season is also one big hypocrisy from the league. We’ve heard rumors for a couple years now about a mid season tournament for money or a playoff birth. How is the NBA going to try to shorten a season when they turnaround and also say they want more games? It simply does not make sense. 

Every sport is a grind, and basketball is no exception. However, to be a champion, to be great, you need to persevere through that grind. You need to find that extra gear and that drive to accomplish greatness. That’s what makes sports, sports. Catering to the few injuries that the players know they risk each time they step on the court is a bad decision to make, especially considering these players are getting paid insane amounts of money to take these risks. The NBA must keep the regular season at an 82 game length, and not fix what isn’t broken.