Former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant built his illustrious 20-year career, which included five NBA championships and numerous other accolades, on hard work and determination. His presence in the league was significant, with many stories highlighting the late guard as the first to arrive at the arena and the last to leave. Therefore, when he retired in 2016, it marked not just the end of his career but, as another L.A. legend noted, the end of an era.

According to a former Purple & Gold player and head coach, Byron Scott, there’s no one like the Black Mamba in the league today. While, of course, no one player can truly emulate Kobe Bryant’s greatness, what Scott meant was that today’s NBA stars don’t play just for the love of the sport. Rather, they treat it like their jobs, clocking in and clocking out on a nightly basis.

“You don’t have any guys like that anymore, that play the game because they love it,” Scott said recently during the latest episode of his podcast, Byron Scott’s Fast Break.

“They work their a– off to get better every single day. All they care about is winning. You know what I’m saying? All the other stuff comes, and that’s how Kobe felt about it. The money, the fame, everything else will come when you win, and that was his mindset.”

“So, I think, unfortunately, when Kobe left the game, not when he passed away, when he left the game, that was the last of the dying breed, and we haven’t seen anybody close to that since,” he concluded.

Well, Scott does have a fair point. No one in today’s league, apart from LeBron James, maybe, comes to mind when thinking of who’d fit the Kobe template. Remember the 2009-10 season when the shooting guard suffered an avulsion fracture in his right (shooting) index finger? After which he decided to skip surgery, which would’ve sidelined him for weeks, and rather adjusted his shooting technique, ultimately leading the Lakers to the championship.

It’s unlikely that many, if any, current athletes would behave that way. However, the current crop of stars can manage their physical demands by skipping several games. The league’s significant concern over this matter led them to introduce penalties and a stipulation of at least 65 games played for end-of-season accolades. Another factor driving the popularity of load management is the NBA’s current schedule, characterized by its demanding and physical nature.

As LeBron James had suggested, the NBA of the 1980s was far easier than today’s.

“The game is different. I want people and our fans to understand that playing 82 games in the ’80s and ’90s is not the same as playing 82 games in the 2020s. It’s just not,” LeBron had said. “The way we play, the level of pace, the level of the speed that we’re playing at, it’s a different game now. It’s a totally different game.”

However, Scott had scoffed at the notion, calling it laughable.

“Chick Hearn would be on the broadcast saying, ‘No blood, no foul.’ You get up, shoot your free throws, and keep playing,” Scott said. “The game was so much more physical then.”

Byron Scott feels load management is seriously troubling the NBA

While many think the biggest concern around the NBA recently has been tanking, former Los Angeles Lakers star Byron Scott doesn’t think so. On the contrary, he feels Adam Silver and the teams need to find a solution to stop load management.

“I think load management is hurting the team, and it’s hurting the game because you got fans again that might be saving up,” Scott said. “You got a mom and dad that say we want to take our son and daughter to a Lakers game, and that particular game, LeBron (James) sits out. Now you can’t fault him because he’s 40-something years old, right?

“But if one of Luka (Doncic) sits out or somebody, and that parent paid to come to that game, and that’s his son or daughter’s favorite player, and they don’t play. And they are not playing because they are not hurt. They’re playing because, ‘oh, we need rest,’ ” he further emphasized.

“I think it’s hurting the game, and it’s showing in a lot of the ratings because fans are looking at this like these guys are making all this money and they’re sitting out games that they can play. They’re not engaging with the fans like they used to back in the day, as well. So, fans are like, you know, f–k this. I’m not gonna watch this s–t.”

Indeed, load management has become a huge issue for the league, and it’s affecting its viewership. However, the management is working on it; they’ve adjusted schedules, and whatnot. But that only decreases the problem; it doesn’t end it. So, the NBA must act decisively, per Scott. Otherwise, this could end up hurting the league’s reputation pretty badly soon.