If you needed any more proof that the modern NBA has lost the plot, you just got it from the GOAT himself. In a recent clip that has been circulating all week, Michael Jordan was asked about the current trend of “Load Management”—healthy players sitting out games to preserve their bodies.
His answer was simple, brutal, and exactly what this soft generation needed to hear:
“It shouldn’t be needed. I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove… I felt like the fans were there to watch me play.”
Jordan played all 82 games in nine different seasons. In his final season with the Wizards, at age 40, he played all 82. Today, we have 22-year-old superstars sitting out the second night of a back-to-back because their “biometrics” told an iPad they were tired.
It is bad for the product. It is bad for the fans. And frankly, it is embarrassing for the sport.
The “DNP-Rest” Disaster
Imagine saving up for three months to take your kid to see their hero play. You buy the tickets, pay for parking, buy the $15 popcorn, and then get to the arena only to see “OUT – LOAD MANAGEMENT” on the Jumbotron.
You didn’t pay to watch the G-League affiliate. You paid to watch the best in the world.
When stars don’t play, the NBA isn’t a sport; it’s a lottery. And fans are tired of buying losing tickets. The new “65-Game Rule” for MVP eligibility was a Band-Aid, but teams are already finding loopholes (fake “back soreness” is the new “rest”).
The Real Problem: Speed Kills
Defenders of load management will tell you: “The game is faster now! The players run more miles than in the 90s!”
They are right. The pace of play in 2025 is frantic. It is a track meet with a ball. But the solution isn’t to stop playing; it’s to change how we play.
If the players are breaking down because they are sprinting too much, we don’t need to wrap them in bubble wrap. We need to fix the game itself.
The Solution: Manage Minutes, Not Games
We can protect players without cheating the fans. Here is the “Raza Rants” proposal to save the season:
1. The “Hard Cap” on Minutes
Instead of sitting a star for an entire game, play them—but strictly limit their minutes. If a player is “at risk,” play them for 24 minutes instead of 38.
- The Fan Win: They still get to see the star play two quarters. They see the jersey on the court.
- The Player Win: They get cardio, keep their rhythm, but reduce the “load.”
2. Slow the Pace Down
The NBA has become obsessed with “pace and space.” Why? Because it inflates stats. If the league is serious about health, they could incentivize slower, more half-court basketball. Bring back post-play. Allow more physicality on defense (which slows down offenses). If the game slows down, the wear-and-tear on knees and ankles drops drastically. You don’t see NFL linemen “load managing” because they play a different style of physical exertion.
3. Shorten the Games (The Radical Fix)
If 48 minutes is too long for the modern “super-athlete” to handle 82 times a year, then make the games 40 minutes (FIBA style).
- Higher intensity.
- Less garbage time.
- Zero excuses to sit out.
The Verdict
Michael Jordan didn’t play 82 games because he had better shoes. He did it because he respected the ticket-buyer.
The NBA is a business, and the customer is the fan. Every time a healthy star sits out a nationally televised game, they are telling the customer: “We already got your money, so we don’t care.”
That works for a while. But eventually, the customers stop buying.
Play the game.