This country is supposedly based on this idea of the American citizen having power.  However, at what point does this power become too much? Well you can find that line in the NBA, especially in the case of two players, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving.

These guys show what can go wrong when a side is given too much power but has also exposed the hypocritical nature of the media and America itself.

The first player is Ben Simmons.

Although he was a 3x all-star and 2x All-Defensive team member, he is still looked at as a disappointment for the Philadelphia 76ers. Being drafted with the 1st overall pick, he was getting comparisons to guys like Magic Johnson and LeBron James, 2 of the 10 greatest players in pro basketball history, which he has not come close to living up to. His biggest problem is his lack of development, as he has put up worse numbers in his 4th season than he did in his first, and he still cannot shoot outside the rim as a point guard, the position where they take the ball up the court on the perimeter. This got completely exposed in the playoffs this season as he shot 34.2% from the free throw line and took 3 shots total in the 4th quarters of the 7 game series vs. the Atlanta Hawks when he was their supposed 2nd option.

These guys show what can go wrong when a side is given too much power but has also exposed the hypocritical nature of the media and America itself.

After getting some justified backlash, he decided that he was either going to not play or get traded. The only problem is he is under contract until 2025, and he is either going to have to play or lose that entire contract. With him refusing to play, Philly looked for offers, but his trade value tanked because of his refusal to cooperate with the team. With no move and training camp looming, he was set to miss it despite no leverage….until he realized how many millions it cost him and he begrudgingly joined the team. This situation could set a scary precedent for the league as players could just not uphold their contract and force their way out of a place just because they don’t like it, and although it’s happened before it has only been with franchise, established stars. If it starts happening like this it could make things like the draft and even contracts useless as players would just not uphold it to go to their preferred team, again with no leverage like Simmons.

However, it gets much worse in the case of Kyrie Irving.

A champion, a perennial all-star, arguably the greatest ball-handler of all-time, Kyrie Irving is without a doubt one of the best players in the world. However, with these new vaccine mandates for players he would be forced to either get the shot or sit out all home games plus other games where the arenas don’t allow unvaccinated staff. He decided that he would not get it, citing “doing what’s best for yourself” and “making your own choice.” He also stated if he was traded, he would retire.

With the Nets informing him that he wouldn’t participate in the team unless he got fully vaccinated, he stood his ground and it could cost him everything, as his contract for this season will be void if he doesn’t play plus he wouldn’t be eligible for a super-max contract the Nets could offer him, which in total would be over $200 million dollars lost, over this vaccine. He claims that he is “giving a voice to the voiceless” in protest of others losing their jobs to the mandates, but it is important to get the facts straight. According to the CDC, as long as a person is not allergic to the ingredients of the vaccine, it has shown that a fully vaccinated person is significantly less likely to get the virus and even more significantly less likely to die from it, that is the results from all the “research”.

The NBA players have more control over their careers than ever before, and while that is a good thing in a lot of regards at the rate they are going it could tear apart the basics of the league as we know it.

This has opened for a lot of hypocrisy to shine through.

Fox news, the same company that had its host tell LeBron James to “shut up and dribble” and complained about the NBA making political statements, now want to talk to NBA anti-vaxxers. Politics and sports have intersected at many points, and it seems some are only celebrating this when it is related to their own cause. All of this was caused because out of the 5,000 shots he made, this was the one he refused to take.

The NBA players have more control over their careers than ever before, and while that is a good thing in a lot of regards at the rate they are going it could tear apart the basics of the league as we know it. We are living in unprecedented times, and we are seeing unprecedented results.

This has exposed so much more than basketball, though. It has shown the endless political firestorm for years from both sides and how hypocritical it can be. Above all, it has shown how divided people are for no reason, how things like respecting other people’s views or making minor sacrifices for the good of you and those around you are still highly debated and politicized.

All of this is still developing, and hopefully soon everything will be sorted out. But right now, we are seeing everyone given their own power, but it’s up to them for how they will use it.