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LeBron James says need for load management starts at AAU level: ‘AAU coaches couldn’t give a damn about a kid’

LOS ANGELES — A star player taking the night off in the NBA has ignited a contentious discussion in recent years as the trend was finally given a face and an official title.

Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard, for better or for worse, became the central figure most associated with the term “load management” when the Toronto Raptors reduced the amount of games he played in his lone season with the franchise that ultimately led to an NBA championship.

And while load management isn’t an approach many fans are warming up to, the conversation has progressively advanced to questioning what has contributed to this attempt at body preservation.