“Disservice and Betrayal!” Stephen A. Smith SCORCHES star athletes for whining about NBA 65-game rule

Stephen A. Smith launches a verbal attack after players have constantly criticized the NBA 65-game rule

“Disservice and Betrayal!” Stephen A. Smith SCORCHES star athletes for whining about NBA 65-game rule

Stephen A. Smith launched an attack on players criticizing the NBA 65-game rule (image via YouTube & Open Source, X)

The NBA 65-game rule was introduced to help the league and the fans who pay to watch the games. Players have been criticizing the rule as it can take away eligibility for awards and contracts. Draymond Green recently came to the defense of Joel Embiid potentially missing out on the MVP race.

Rising superstar Tyrese Haliburton also criticized the rule as he is about to lose out on a super max deal. But it was time for someone who has been a part of the game for a long time to set the record straight, for these players.

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ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was speaking on his show, First Take, this morning. When host Molly Qerim asked about his opinion regarding all these players speaking against the rules, Smith went on a tirade. He summed up the criticisms in a few words saying;

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We see people sitting out games to prevent injuries, It is a disservice and a betrayal to the individuals who set the stage for them.

Smith’s analogy lasted the full 10 minutes. He mentioned that several greats of the past played multiple full seasons. Smith also claimed that those past greats played for far less money than the stars of this era. Today’s players are paid generational wealth. So how can they ask for leniency from the rule?

Stephen A. Smith referenced the In-Season Tournament in his speech. He said, for $500,000, the same players were playing every game. Hence, their criticism is not justified. Smith added that they get paid for the full season. The NBA 65-game rule was instituted for the fans, as the league believes fans who watch the game should get their money’s worth.

Correspondingly, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo added that the trend started with legendary head coach Gregg Popovich who started it back in the early 2010’s. That trend was carried on by his former player Kawhi Leonard. Evidently, many players have begun load-managing their way through the regular season.

Why the players should stop complaining and play

The NBA gets its revenue primarily from two sources. The broadcasting rights deals as well as sponsorship revenue. All the teams get a cut from the broadcasting deal. Along with sponsorship deals and collaborations with brands, the teams also get revenue from ticket and merchandise sales. There is one factor that is common to all of these revenue streams – the players.

Tyrese Haliburton, Draymond Green and Joel Embiid have been critical about the NBA 65-game rule
Tyrese Haliburton, Draymond Green, and Joel Embiid have been critical about the NBA 65-game rule (image via Open Source, X)

Unless players play in games, there will be less and less of everything income-wise. The league, the teams, and the fans are the ones to lose out. After all, who will watch the games unless there are players the fans want to watch?

With the criticisms from players, Stephen A. Smith pointed out that they are simply looking out for themselves. Whereas in the past, players regularly played through injuries to help their teams.

The NBA has made it very clear about what is the minimum expectation from players. Stephen A. Smith just reminded them of the rationale behind it. They are, after all, paid to do their job, every day.

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