LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki Right About Shortened NBA Season

By Kyle Mountain on October 15, 2014

In any major sport, it’s typically safe to assume that with a new regime in charge of running a league will come some change, big or small. Early in 2014, the NBA appointed Adam Silver to be the new commissioner of the league, and with his arrival came questions of what — if anything — would change. There are a slew of topics in which the NBA could potentially change, and two NBA stars recently made their voices heard regarding the length of the season and why it should change.

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks both believe that the NBA season should be shorter, and the driving force behind their arguments are a higher quality product and player safety. “I think you don’t need 82 games to determine the best eight in each conference,” said Nowitzki this week. There is certainly some truth to Nowitzki’s claim as the length of an NBA season does inevitably create a lot of meaningless games. During the 2013-14 NBA season, there were seven teams that failed to average 16,000 fans for home games, and TV ratings have declined over the past two years. A shorter season, while ultimately cutting down on the product itself, would in effect create a better and more exciting product for fans.

There’s a reason why professional and college football games are so hyped and followed so closely — the lengths of their season make every single game matter. Of course, an NBA season length will never be in the realm of that of a football season, however a lesson can be learned — a shorter season will make each game more important and more teams will have a chance to be in the mix come playoff time, making it a better experience and product for fans.

The NBA is taking initiative on the topic and will experiment with a shorter game to decipher and further consider its effects on both players and fans. The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics will play a 44-minute preseason game (as opposed to 48 minutes) on Sunday, however NBA superstar LeBron James believes that fewer games is more appropriate than shorter games. “It’s not the minutes, it’s the games — 82 games are a lot,” said James. “At the end of the day, we want to protect the prize and the prize is the players.”

The demands of an 82-game schedule can be detrimental to a player’s career, and a shorter NBA season will cut down on many of the fatigue-induced injuries that inevitably hinder a player’s career. Player safety should always be a priority for any sports league, and such a measure would ensure players have a chance to both play at a higher level, while also reducing their chance at injury.

It’s hard to believe the NBA will make any long-term changes to the issue of season length anytime soon, however it’s something they’ll have to consider, especially if the league’s stars continue to voice their opposition to the current season length. Nowitzki recognized the league will likely not make changes any time soon.

“I always understand that it’s about money, and every missed game means missed money for both parties — for the league, for the owners, for the players,” said Nowitzki. “I understand all that and that’s why I don’t think it’s going to change anytime soon.” He is probably right about this, however if a shorter season can extend a player’s career — even by a season or two — and if it can ensure the fans will receive a better product overall, it’s something the NBA should absolutely consider.