Though LeBron James briefly flirted with running for the NBPA Presidency, it appears that Roger Mason Jr. will be elected at the next president of the player's union. Perhaps other NBA players heard the warning shots from Jerry Stackhouse, who verbally slapped LeBron for his statements about the state of the union, because Mason is, thus far, running unopposed.
Stackhouse, one of seven executive committee members elected at All-Star weekend in Houston this past February — when longtime executive director Billy Hunter was ousted — said James' comments felt like a "kick in the stomach."
"I don't think he's had any dialogue with anybody since the All-Star break, but it is what it is," Stackhouse said. "To make that statement about where we are as a union right now, he was misinformed."
"I would've liked [James] to come to the meeting next week and hear it and then voice his opinion," Stackhouse said.
Mason, however, is currently the VP of the NBPA, is well-informed with the issues the union faces and has the support of the board.
“The task at hand is pretty great,” Mason said in a telephone interview. “And I can appreciate how much time and energy needs to go into this type of commitment, just from my involvement. There may be other guys that understand that and that want to run, and that’s their right."
The first task will be replacing former executive director Billy Hunter, who went down in flames following the most recent contract negotiations. He's bringing down the former NBPA president, Derek Fisher, down with him in a lawsuit, citing collusion with the owners to create a lockout.
Basically, the union looks like it's in a mess, which is what LeBron was getting at with his statements, but with a new president, they'll be on their way back to full strength. They'll need it in 2017, when some predict another lockout will occur.
