With each passing season, the phrase ‘load management’ was becoming increasingly popular in the league. It became so commonplace that out of the top 50 scorers in the NBA last season, only 12 played in at least 70 of the league’s 82 regular-season games. Many stars were often rested in the same games, often in those broadcast nationally. To address this trend, the league introduced new rules. One such rule requires players to participate in a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for end-of-season awards. And Boston Celtics’ legend Paul Pierce is with the league on this one.

Paul Pierce, someone who played in 80+ games in seven of his 19 seasons in the league, believes that there is no science behind load management preventing the risk of injuries. Moreover, he argues that if a player loves the sport, nothing can stop him from playing, not even injuries. However, he thinks that there are only a few players in the league now who share that passion for the sport. He went on to use LeBron James as an example to slam the new generation of players who miss an extended period due to injuries. “Bron don’t sit down… He rolled his ankle like this and… 2 mins later, he come back out there to catch a lob. I’m like damn. That’s crazy. Today’s kids roll their ankle, they sit down, I get it, I played with a dislocated thumb. But’s just different now,” said The Truth during a recent appearance on The Draymond Green Show.

However, he has not always had nice words to offer when it comes to James. The rivalry between LeBron James and Paul Pierce was the closest thing to a bad-blooded beef in recent NBA history.

Paul Pierce considers LeBron James ‘The GOAT’

It started with a preseason game in 2003 when Paul spat toward the Cavaliers’ bench and evolved into a fierce rivalry over the years. With both of them being in the Eastern Conference, they clashed numerous times—69 if we are counting—during the regular season and the playoffs. However, the feud between the two was not just limited to the court. Even after the latter retired, he fired shots at James on several occasions.

In fact, he was glad to be dismissed from ESPN because he was tired of talking about LeBron all the time. His dislike of James was palpable even just a few months ago when he excluded him from his top five greatest players of all time list. However, it looks like ‘The Truth’ had a change of heart. He cleared the air on his beef with James, even showering praise on his former rival. “Do I think Bron is a Top-5 player? Absolutely man…Bron is in the GOAT argument to where you can just say he might be the GOAT,” said the 46-year-old.

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“Dude Is Still Salty..”: Celtics Legend’s Scathing Take On LeBron James Leaves NBA World in a Frenzy