"They made the rules for him": NBA fans cry foul as LeBron James snags NBA rest policy exception approval

NBA superstar LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has qualified for exception to the league’s new resting rule and several fans have cried foul over it.

In a bid to clamp down on load management which has become prevalent in recent seasons, the NBA recently passed a new rule that puts a cap on how often teams can rest their star players by not letting them play in certain games.

As per published reports, the league will start imposing fines, starting at $100,000, for resting star players in nationally televised and in-season tournament games or for resting multiple stars during the same game.

The term “star player” under the new policy refers to anyone who has been named to an All-NBA or All-Star team in the past three seasons.

However, reports also have it that some players who fit this criteria will be exempted from the policy, including 38-year-old LeBron James.

Also, the league will pre-approve load management for stars who are 35 years old by the opening night or have amassed 34,000 regular-season minutes or a combined 1,000 regular-season and playoff games.

No sooner after LeBron James' exemption, fans made their thoughts known, underscoring that giving players a “pass” is akin to giving special treatment to certain players, which they said leaves a bad impression.

Some fans wrote on X (formerly Twitter) about the “biased” treatment given to four-time NBA champion James.

Some suggested that if such is the case, then LeBron James might as well call it a career.

In addition, under the NBA’s new rest policy, teams can seek pre-approval to sit players who have extensive injury histories, but it is to be determined on a case-by-case basis. The NBA also will consider exceptions for players with personal reasons, a bona fide injury, roster management, and late-season flexibility.

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Other players who qualify or are eligible for the rest policy exception under the criteria provided

· Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

· Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns)

· Chris Paul (Golden State Warriors)

· James Harden (Philadelphia 76ers)

· DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls)

· Mike Conley (Minnesota Timberwolves)