NBA stars resting during regular season games to preserve health for playoffs—sparking debates about fan value and player workload.
Kawhi Leonard Pioneers
The term “load management” entered NBA lexicon during Kawhi Leonard’s 2017-18 Spurs season when he sat out frequently with “quadriceps tendinopathy.” After forcing a trade to Toronto (2018), Kawhi sat 22 regular season games for rest while healthy. The Raptors called it “load management”—strategic rest to keep him fresh for playoffs. It worked—Kawhi led Toronto to their first championship (2019).
Fan and Media Backlash
Fans who bought expensive tickets to see stars like Kawhi or LeBron felt cheated when players rested. The NBA fined teams for resting stars on nationally televised games. Commissioner Adam Silver criticized load management, worrying about fan experience and TV ratings. But players argued 82-game seasons were unsustainable; health mattered more than regular-season entertainment.
Normalized Practice
By 2020-2023, load management was standard for aging stars and injury-prone players. Joel Embiid rarely played back-to-backs. Debates raged: were players soft compared to past generations, or were teams smarter about health? The pandemic’s shortened 2020 season (72 games) reignited discussions about reducing the regular season permanently.
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