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.  

The NBA is going through a very awkward struggle between certain NBA players and the Owners. The big issue at hand is  NBA players sitting out games so they can be healthy for the playoffs? Do players have a right to sit out? Are the best players sitting out messing up your fan experience? Are ratings important enough to make the players play?

I believe players should be able to sit out when they want. The man who’s at the center of all this controversy is NBA superstar Lebron James. Lebron especially has earned the right to sit. Playing 14 years in the league and has played 1055 games and 41027 minutes in that span. So many games can take a toll on a humans body. Lebron chooses to rest not because he doesn’t care about the game, but because he wants to keep himself as fresh as possible for the playoffs. Other players specifically on the San Antonio Spurs have been resting players for years. The regular season doesn’t matter as much as the playoffs, and older teams need everyone to be healthy. The decision to rest players comes down to the playoffs and increasing your chances at winning a NBA championship.

I believe their is many ways the NBA can solve their resting players controversy. Commissioner Adam Silver needs to put some restrictions on how many games non injured players are allowed to rest. Injuries or players recovering from an injury should be able to rest as many games as possible. Non injured players should have a rule of a certain number of games you are allowed to sit out. Also you shouldn’t be able to sit out against the same team more than twice in a season. If you only play the team twice then only sit out against them once. This rule will only go for players with non reported injuries. Also every player should have to play in the nationally televised games. Those games have the largest viewing audience and should have the highest quality of play possible.

In an interview with ESPN, sleep scientist Dr. Charles Czeisler suggested “playing on a back-to-back is like trying to compete on an empty stomach–it doesn’t work.” Players are like a tire, to much tread on them and they do not work. One study provided to ESPN showed that injuries were 3.5 times more likely on the second night of a back-to-back played on the road. Teams invest millions of dollars into these players and they don’t want to see them get hurt and potentially waste their money on them.

Everyone who agrees with players resting also see the other side of the argument. Some people travel from all over the world, spending over 500 dollars to go to a game and their favorite player isn’t even playing. How disappointing that must be to them. Watching mediocre talent instead of all star caliber talent. It’s a waste of time and money.

The league can’t solve this problem overnight. Their are too many variables at hand for everyone to be happy with a solution. Can players survive a 82 game season? Should they play all the prime time games and be able to sit any of the other games? Their is no way to make everyone happy, I think everyone just needs to let the players do what they want. They are the one’s playing and should be able to decide what they want to do.