The Los Angeles Lakers play the Houston Rockets on the final Friday night of the NBA regular season and the game was scheduled to be broadcast on NBA TV. During halftime of the first game of the NBA TV double-header, the broadcast showed a clip of LeBron James warming up.
He was not wearing a shirt. And that really bothered Isiah Thomas.
"I just totally 100% object to this," said Thomas. "If I was the GM or coach, I would never let one of my players walk out on the floor looking like this. I mean we are professional NBA league. We ain't summer league. We ain't at the YMCA."
Steve Smith, who was voicing his agreement with Thomas then jumped in to say he thought that coaches should go back to wearing suits in both the NBA and college. Thomas agreed with that saying, "abso-[self-censored]-lutely" and then continued.
"I just think the professionalism in our NBA league has diminished so much and I... Look, I like LeBron," explained Thomas. "I'm a fan of his so forth and so on, but to walk out on the floor before a game with no shirt on and shoot? I mean, come on man. Where we at? What we doing? Where we at? Now, if you want to... Adam Silver, if you want to fine somebody, fine that. Put a fine on that."
Not only does he object. He wants James to be fined for warming up shirtless two hours before tip-off. This isn't the layup line. There don't even appear to be any fans in the arena. Thomas is just so upset with this lack of professionalism from the NBA's all-time leading scorer that he wants him fined for practicing with shirt off hours before the game begins.
Just when you think retired players have complained about it all. It's just too bad this happened on the Friday night before the playoffs start because this would be an utterly ridiculous topic to see debated on all the talking head shows.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Isiah Thomas Rants About Shirtless LeBron James on NBA TV, Wants Him Fined.
