Piece by: Joey Yaris
I remember the good ‘ol days in the NBA - when a team would draft a player and he’d be the face of the franchise for the next 20 years. Kobe (though not technically drafted by the Lakers), Timmy D, Dirk - these names have become synonymous with loyalty to an organization. Contract extensions were a foregone conclusion and the offseason was exactly that, an off season. But today, the summer is perhaps the most action-packed part of the year. And the reason is simple. His name is LeBron James.
In the summer of 2010, LeBron James shocked the basketball world by “taking his talents to South Beach”, forming a super-team with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. One player made a single decision that destroyed the parity of the league and would transform the role of the player in determining his future. The Miami Heat would go on to make four straight finals appearances and win two of them. But they had upset the balance of powers. Other players took notice of LeBron’s decision and soon followed suit, most notably Kevin Durant. When Kevin
Durant signed with the Warriors, the new NBA was created. LeBron loosened the cap and KD ripped that thing off.
Over the course of a couple years, the power dynamic in the NBA did a complete 180. Players now have a much larger degree of control over their own destinies while the organizations must sit back and see how it all plays out. All they can do is hope Drake’s offer of making Kawhi Leonard an executive producer on his next album will be enough. Read that last sentence slowly. What parallel universe are we living in where Drake has a discernible impact on the landscape of the NBA? The one that LeBron created.
Today, LeBron’s impact is felt more than ever before. Players are enjoying a level of power greater than any time in the league’s history. Jayson Tatum asking for max contract insurance? Imagine if, right before a contract year, Scottie Pippen slams his fist on Jerry Krause’s desk and demands insurance in case he gets injured. Krause would have injured Scottie himself. Or what about Kyrie sitting out for social justice? Though undoubtedly for an admirable cause, only in today’s NBA would a healthy player be able to sit out for reasons similar to the ones Kyrie is discussing. If a player brought up sitting out for social justice in the 1980s, he would have been released before he finished his sentence. Of course, society itself has changed between then and now but there is something to be said for the increased role of player power which has allowed players like Kyrie and Jayson Tatum to wield said power in hope of enacting change, whether on a societal or league-wide basis. Players don’t just play now. They don’t just shut up and dribble. And all of this because someone decided to play basketball in Florida.