Late last month, Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports revealed that LeBron James was considering a run for the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Presidency, which has remained vacant since Derek Fisher's term expired this summer.
Today James told ESPN's Brian Windhorst that "my voice could be huge in that situation." As Windhorst notes, the NBPA has come under scrutiny recently after the 2011 CBA negotiations saw the players ceding a significant portion of the league's basketball related income to ownership.
The loss of revenue in CBA negotiations was followed by a scandal involving Fisher and the union's former executive director Billy Hunter involving the use of the union's finances. With all the invective surrounding the NBPA over the last couple years, James has thrown his hat into the ring as the next possible President, with his clout as the league's preeminent star his biggest selling point for the role.
James believes the NBPA is due for an overhaul, saying "I just think the union is going backwards, and it's not in a good place right now." But as the game's best player, the league's biggest name overseas, and a global marketing phenomenon, James might not have the time to serve in that role.
"I'm not sure I have the time to do it, but it's something I'm going to think about with my team and go from there," James revealed to Windhorst on Saturday after an event for his foundation in his hometown of Akron. "But I think we all can agree there's been a lot of transition in our union in the last couple of years. If it's not me in that seat then I hope it's someone who is comfortable with it and can do the job."
The last NBA star to hold the role of NBPA President was Knicks center Patrick Ewing, who served in that capacity more than a decade ago. The union's summer meeting is later in August, and Whitlock wrote that the earliest decision on electing a new NBPA President could come towards the end of August.