Youth basketball has grown leaps and bounds since Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was in high school 20 years ago. Many athletes now constantly have tournaments to attend and places to travel, and basketball has become a year-round sport for these kids. 

James is one of many individuals skeptical of youth basketball schedules and how they impact young people, his sons Bryce and Bronny included, and their futures in basketball. On his personal substack, NBA reporter Marc Stein revealed some of James' thoughts on youth basketball:

“I think it's too much,” James said. “I think it's too many tournaments being played throughout the full year and not allowing these kids to recover.”

“They go from playing all summer right into school league, all summer again right into school league, all summer right into school league for four years, and then they go off to college or go play wherever they go to play. If they are fortunate enough to get to the NBA, it's a lot of basketball, lot of miles, they put on their bodies.”

“You have a lot of guys that come into our league and you wonder why some of the injuries are happening so early on in their careers,” LeBron said. “Could [the volume of basketball played] be part of it? Possibly, but I’m not sure.”

James, 37, is averaging 25.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists across 12 games with the Lakers this season. Largely thanks to his heroics, the Lakers have turned their season around. After starting the 2022-23 campaign 2-10, the Lakers have won five of their last six games and, at 7-11, are just two games back of a play-in spot.