Josh Hart has put the debate of Load Management up in air. The NBA has been embroiled in a contentious dispute over “load management,” which resulted in the most recent CBA establishing a 65-game threshold for individual awards and player nominations for All-NBA. When they learn that the players they paid to watch are taking breaks during the games, many NBA fans feel deceived. Josh Hart, the star of the New York Knicks, spoke about his NBA obligations in a wake that many found comforting.
Head coach of the Knicks Tim Thibodeau has always resisted the temptation to rest his key players, giving them a lot of playing time and encouraging hustle throughout the entire game. When the Knicks head coach rested Josh Hart for just 14 minutes in their 4-2 first-round series victory over the Sixers, he went one step further.
Hart is a treasure that Coach Thibs has discovered; he views playing the entire game as a part of his job. The Knicks all-around guard stated in a post-game interview in 2023 that being an NBA player is a luxury and is very different from having a regular job.
Shaquille O’Neal’s supporting Josh Hart’s IG Comment
How come he wouldn’t mind playing two hours of basketball every other night when many others work half-day shifts for far less fulfilling jobs every day?
In a post-game interview with reporters the previous year, Hart said:
“Our job is to play basketball. You’ve got people who are waking up at 6 AM doing 12-hour shifts. Those guys are tired. For us, we’re playing a game,”
Shaquille O’Neal, who posted a graphic with Hart’s comments on his Instagram account, seemed to agree with these sentiments. Shaq let the quote speak for itself, adding no extra words in his signature style.
Shaq shares Josh Hart's views on NBA life compared regular work pic.twitter.com/9xiRy4KJzc
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) May 11, 2024
In the past, O’Neal has been adamantly against load management. Similar to Hart, he views being a professional basketball player as a gift and a rare chance. Because many people pay a lot of money to see NBA players work, he therefore expects them to perform their jobs well.
