Anthony Davis may be the biggest star in years to do so, but is this generation of NBA stars selfish?

Memories come to mind of Kevin Durant leaving to the rival Warriors after losing to them return (still not cool with this!) as well as LeBron James wiping out Cleveland, only to return and deliver a title. Whether it’s through free agency, demanding a trade, or simply holding organizations hostage a la Carmelo Anthony in Denver, players have recognized their importance to the league, and in it are making decisions centered around themselves. The earliest instances of this can be traced back to an NBA legend, Kareem Abdul Jabbar who told the Bucks he’d be leaving the next summer so they may as well trade him, and off to the Lakers he went. Other legends such as Moses Malone, as well as Hall of Fame guys like Alonzo Mourning and even Larry Johnson leveraged what they could to get what they wanted. So this isn’t an entirely new phenomenon, but has it been exasperated recently?

On this level I may argue that the egregiousness has inflated along with the popularity and success of the NBA and its players. As everything is, there is nuance to players becoming bigger than franchises. We absolutely want these guys to recognize their worth and we absolutely don’t want owners being able to hold them hostage. There are instances where it goes beyond the point of acceptability. The NBA is a very unique workplace with a rigorous set of demands, but in a way can be boiled down to the entertainment industry whether us die hards like it or not. It’s all a soap opera, a drama, we love storylines and story arcs. It’s at the very least entertaining when a player holds a team hostage, but is it right? These guys do make a shit ton of money, and they earn it undoubtedly, but would it be too much to ask for these guys to play through their seasons and remain respectful? Certain situations just need to end, but it seems just as often a player who could quietly leave in the offseason or handle his issues internally turns full diva and lets the whole world know what he’s thinking. Jimmy Butler is an awesome player and plays his heart out, but only playing in “big” games for the Timberwolves is another example of this. Funnily enough Kevin Durant did leave quietly, but that’s a whole different story (where is the thrill of joining your enemies??).

We’ll finish there. The culture of superteazm building is strange in itself, but the topic of players becoming bigger than the team is interesting. Sometimes it’s a good thing that players are more and more not allowing themselves to be taken advantage of. With that, however, you get guys who abuse that power and forget that they are working just like the rest of us. A practice mutiny would have gotten you kicked out of the league not too long ago Zach Lavine!