A new and highly debated topic in the NBA is the resting of star players. Recently, star players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry have been sitting out more games when they are completely healthy. They sit out to gain “rest”, usually against weaker teams, which are an easy win most of the time. Sometimes though, star players will sit out in prime time matchups, and that’s a bigger issue.

This topic has caused a divide in opinions, as some people think it’s reasonable to sit star players in games. It is not though, as it is unfair to fans tv networks. It is an issue that shouldn’t be an issue in the first place. Every NBA player should play in a game if they are healthy.

Let’s say you live in New Jersey, are a huge fan of the NBA and want to see high-quality basketball. The two teams to watch are the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, who currently are both out of the playoff picture. You pick the Nets because their ticket prices are cheaper. But, you want to see the greats play, such as LeBron James. So you buy a ticket at a highly inflated price to a Nets vs Cavaliers game, hoping to see LeBron. He is healthy and able to play, but he decides to sit out and rest. As a consumer and fan of basketball, this will frustrate you a lot. An unhappy consumer is bad for business and is something that the NBA and its teams should stray away from.

In addition to harming fans, the resting of healthy stars can harm tv ratings. Resting star players is a problem for fans when they go to a game or watch it on local tv. But, when a game is on prime time television, it is a much bigger problem. Fans have been complaining about resting healthy stars for a while, but the movement took off on March 11th, 2017. In a huge western conference showdown between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, stars sat. The two teams with the best records in the NBA faced off in a marquee matchup that could potentially determine who finished 1st in the Western Conference. The game was on ABC channel 7, but the three best Warriors players, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all rested, even though they were healthy.

Out of protest, a lot of unhappy NBA fans that didn’t tune into the game. ABC was hurt by the Warriors decision, and so were a lot of fans of the NBA who planned on watching great basketball. Even more hurt though, were the Warriors fans who made the trip to San Antonio, only to see their best players resting on the bench. According to Espn, as of March 31st, 2017, neither one of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, or Draymond Green is in the top 25 of minutes played per game. In fact, NBA all-star James Harden has played in every game this season so far and is sixth in minutes per game. He is continuing to produce at high levels, and is one of the top contenders for league MVP. He is a prime example that shows that stars don’t need rest.

The resting of healthy stars, especially during prime time games is a new highly-debated issue that is being addressed. The NBA is not sure that a solution is available, but they are working towards finding one that will please both fans and businesses.