Former Lakers Champion Takes Massive Shot at LeBron James Over 82-Game Remark

Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant, Lindsay Hunter and Shaquille O’Neal hold championship trophies after winning Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Meadowlands on June 12, 2002.

Los Angeles Lakers veteran LeBron James missed his 18th game of the season on Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs. This means he is no longer eligible for end-of-the-season awards, as he will not meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for All-NBA honors.

The Lakers had a game against reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Monday. James has only played in back-to-back games twice this season, and all four of those games were within a week of each other in January.

Earlier in the season, James said that every back-to-back game was “TBD” because he needs to avoid straining his body. In a recent episode of his Mind the Game podcast, James explained that playing 82 games in the present NBA is not as easy as it in the 1980s and 1990s.

“The game is different. I want people and our fans to understand that playing 82 games in the ’80s and ’90s is not the same as playing 82 games in the 2020s. It’s just not,” LeBron said. “The way we play, the level of pace, the level of the speed that we’re playing at, it’s a different game now. It’s a totally different game.”

James said the NBA in the earlier decades were known for physicality, while the current NBA is known for a faster pace and quicker transitions.

Former Lakers Champion Lindsey Hunter Does Not Agree With James

One former NBA player responded to James’ claim that the pace is faster in today’s league than in previous decades. Two-time NBA champion and former Lakers guard (2001-02) Lindsey Hunter countered the claim by stating that the pace was actually faster in the 80s and 90s.

“First of all, the pace is not faster. If you go back and look at it, the 80s and 90s, the pace is much faster. I think the 2020s probably rank 5th as far as pace is concerned. Fifth. So that’s a lie,” said Hunter on the “Crossover” podcast.

Hunter’s claim is correct. The 2025-26 NBA season is at a 99.5 for pace currently, and the league has not reached triple-digit pace during James’ career expect for the 2018-19 (100.0) and 2019-20 (100.3) seasons.

The NBA started recording pace during the 1973-74 season. And from then to the 1988-89 season, the pace never hit below triple-digits in a season expect for the 1987-88 season when it was at 99.6. But even in that season, the pace was still faster than today’s pace.

Hunter watched the NBA in the 80s then played in the league from 1993-2010. He played the 2001-02 season with the Lakers and won the NBA championship alongside franchise legends Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.