Michael Jordan sends blunt message to LeBron James and other NBA stars - 'You have duty'

LeBron James is currently sidelined due to injury but the 40-year-old isn't expected to play every game this season, something NBA legend Michael Jordan disagrees with

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NBA legend Michael Jordan believes that load management "shouldn't be needed" in a clear message to Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and other NBA superstars who employ the strategy.

Jordan played the full 82-game regular season for most of his NBA career, believing that all players should be on the court if they're healthy. James, 40, is the oldest player in the league, and the Lakers have managed his load at times to avoid injury and keep him sharp.

James is yet to play this season due to sciatica and is expected to return at the start of November. While his absence is justified due to injury, Jordan believes that James and fellow star NBA players should be playing when they aren't physically restricted.

Ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, Lakers head coach JJ Redick admitted that James' minutes may have to be managed. "We are in the uncharted territory of his 23rd season," he said. "There is no manual on how to manage an athlete with that many minutes on his back." L.A. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is among other notable NBA stars who are known to use load management.

Jordan retired in 1998 after 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, during which he helped the organization win six NBA championships. Three seasons later, he returned for a two-year stint with the Washington Wizards and played in all 82 games during his final campaign.

In an interview with Mike Tirico on NBC Sports, Jordan was asked about load management in the NBA and dismissed the concept. "It shouldn't be needed, first and foremost," Jordan said.

"I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove. It was something that I felt, the fans are there to watch me play. I wanna impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his a-- off to get a ticket, or to get money to buy the ticket.

"You have a duty that if they're wanting to see you, as an entertainer I want to show. So if the guys who come in to watch me play, I don't want to miss that opportunity.

"Physically, if I can't do it, then I can't do it. But physically, if I can do it, and I just don't feel like doing it, that's a different lens."

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Jordan was asked whether there were any examples of him playing through pain, and the NBA legend instantly referenced a key memory from his first years in the league. "Start of my career, I twisted my ankle, and I had a teammate who said, 'You twisted your ankle young fella, come and sit with me.'

"I said, 'Nah, man, I'm trying to make a name for myself. There's no way I can sit. I need to get out there and show. I want to play, I want to win, I want to make an impact.'

"I taped it up, and I went back out and I played. I always felt that. I always felt the necessary need that I can never leave my comrades out if I can perform. Even if I couldn't."

Jordan then questioned the need for load management, claiming it's a player's duty to rest and recover. "You play basketball two and a half hours a day," Jordan said. That's your job, that's what you get paid to do as an NBA player. What are you doing the other 21 hours?

"To me, that's when you should be preparing for your next day of work, or your next challenge... Maybe I'm not one of the guys who you'd probably model that, but you should think about that in retrospect of what load management is."