NBA Fact Checks LeBron James After He Blamed The League For Increased Injuries

The NBA has hit back at LeBron James after he took to social media to comment on the recent flurry of injuries among NBA players this season.

But the four-time NBA champion didn't just quietly have his say on the matter, instead he appeared to go on a pretty long-winded rant that concluded by insinuating that it was actually the league's fault for the increased number of injuries due to the early start to the new season.

Now the NBA has clapped back by fact-checking LeBron's claims.

And, well, it seems he hasn't exactly done his research.

"Injury rates were virtually the same this season as they were during 2019-20 while starter-level and All-Star players missed games due to injury at similar rates as the last three seasons," the Association said, according to Marc Stein.

"While injuries are an unfortunate reality of our game, we recognize the enormous sacrifices NBA players and teams have made to play through this pandemic."

After Kawhi Leonard became the latest NBA star to suffer a season-ending injury, LeBron fired off a tweet claiming that the NBA "didn't wanna listen" to him when it came to starting the competition earlier than usual.

With the coronavirus pandemic impacting last season's schedule, the NBA was forced to start the 2021 campaign in December 2020 - just three months before the conclusion of the last one in Orlando.

But with injuries springing up left, right and centre this month, LeBron claims this is simply down to a "lack of rim rest".

"They all didn't wanna listen to me about the start of the season," LeBron tweeted.

PA

"I knew exactly what would happen. I only wanted to protect the well being of the players which ultimately is the PRODUCT & BENEFIT of OUR GAME!

"These injuries aren't just 'PART OF THE GAME'. It's the lack of pure RIM REST before starting back up. 8, possibly 9, ALL-STARS have missed playoff games (most in the league's history).

"This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing a ton of our fav players. It's insane," LeBron said.

"If there's one person that know about the body and how it works all year round it's ME! I speak for the health of all our players and I hate to see this many injuries this time of the year. Sorry fans wish you guys were seeing all your fav guys right now."

Los Angeles Lakers fan favourite LeBron clearly has the health of the players at the forefront of his thinking, but if the NBA's response is anything to go by then it's clear he didn't do his homework properly.

Topics: Basketball, NBA, injury, nba news, Twitter, lebron james, Australia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry