LeBron James airborne (Mark J Terrill-AP)
*At this point in his career, LeBron James is doing more harm than good for the NBA, according to former basketball great John Salley.
Referencing a recent interview with VladTV, Marca reports that Salley aired his view of James, who has more than 20 years as one of the NBA’s best players.
For Salley, who played for the Detroit Pistons and LA Lakers, advertisers get the short end of the stick when it comes to older all-stars like James. So much so that he believes NBA players should only play about 10 years.
“It’s not good for the league to have old players still hanging around,” the 59-year-old four-time NBA champion said. “Takes away from the advertisement. You know, you’re trying to sell Ja Morant sneakers, you’re not trying to sell LeBrons.”
Salley’s comments come as James marked his latest achievement by setting a new career high with 20 rebounds.
As the interview continued, the former NBA great compared James’ stint in the league to Tiger Woods’ longevity in golf, stating that a new golfer on the scene is a better fit than someone with years in and icon status.
“Nike had to get rid of Nike Golf…” Salley said. “They had to get back to their core so they had to drop things that weren’t making them, they couldn’t, Tiger Woods was great for them but which one of the new up-and-coming kids are going to say ‘I want some Tiger Woods.’ No, they’re gonna go with who the new guy is. In business, especially in sports, you get in you get out. If you last ten years you are blessed.”
So, what say you? Do you agree with John Salley that 10 years is a good length of time for players in the NBA? Or do you feel that if they are still going strong, it should not matter how much time players have to be a part of NBA magic? Scroll down to weigh in.
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