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LeBron James Had Profane Load Management Complaints for Lakers Coaches in New Clip
LeBron James is one of the subjects of the new Netflix docuseries Starting 5, along with Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, Domantas Sabonis and Jayson Tatum. James is the oldest member of the cast, obviously, as Netflix's cameras followed him around during the 21st season of his NBA career.
The key to his longevity has been health, but in the later years of his career, load management has been a serious concern. That's on full display in the documentary as you can see his reaction to a minutes restriction in the Lakers' season-opening loss to the Denver Nuggets last season.
It quickly becomes apparent that LeBron does not love the idea as he gives his coaches a NSFW earful about load management when he's in better shape than everyone else.
Starting 5 on Netflix showing LeBron against the Nuggets season opener being annoyed at minutes restriction
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 9, 2024
"I know you got me on old man time percentages and sh*t. Play eight minutes and sh*t.
2 shots in 8 minutes just getting cardio. I hate this sh*t already, just garbage" pic.twitter.com/6uHemQybel
"Yeah I know," said LeBron to every coach within earshot. "I know ya'll got me on f---in' old man time percentages and sh--. Play eight minutes and sh--. Two shots in eight minutes and just getting cardio. I hate this sh-- already. This shit's garbage. You guys know I'm in better shape than everybody."
When you look at the numbers, he still averaged 35.3 minutes a game last season, which was tied for 17th in the league and was just two and a half minutes behind league leader DeMar DeRozan. And it's the same distance from the 37.8 minutes LeBron averaged when leading the league in minutes in '16-'17.
It's amazing that taking just over one minute a half away from LeBron is enough to annoy him. That's probably why he'll pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most minutes in NBA regular season history this year.
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Stephen Douglas is a Senior Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in journalism and media since 2008, and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Stephen spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and has previously written for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.