League fires back at Athletics’ John Hollinger for criticizing NBA Cup schedule
The final four teams for the NBA Cup in Las Vegas were recently set, with matchups bbetween the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the west, and the Orlando Magic and the New York Knicks in the East set for this weekend. The league has put a lot of effort into generating interest in the tournament since its inception in 2023, and at this point the jury is still out from a fan perspective.
Recently, John Hollinger of The Athletic criticized the way the NBA Cup seemingly forces players to play more games early in the season, but now the NBA responded to those remarks.
“The Athletic’s suggestion that the increase in the number of games missed by the stars is related to the start of the season schedule is incorrect and misleading,” wrote NBA Communications on X, formerly Twitter.
The league then pointed to data showing that the total number of games played in the league this year is roughly the same as in previous years, both in the cup and in the non-cup season.
The NBA also countered Hollinger’s claims that there has been an increase in soft tissue injuries to stars at this point in the season, saying the star injury rate is as low as it has been in the last six seasons.
Overall, the NBA has come under fire for continuing to implement an 82-game schedule despite the game’s fast-paced pace, which has led to a number of brutal injuries at inopportune times in the season, including three star-level players going down with Achilles tears during last year’s postseason.
Still, in a money-driven league, it’s unlikely the NBA will cut the schedule anytime soon and instead hit back at people like Hollinger who criticize them.
2025-12-11 18:07:00
