The NBA is red hot right now, as basketball is surging in popularity across the globe. Incessant media coverage is one reason the league is flourishing.
There are downsides, though, to having journalists hover around teams 24/7. With dozens of outlets attending every game and practice, reporters search for any story they can find. They’re hoping to stand out. Sometimes, that means stories that aren’t entirely accurate get published.
No team knows this as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have the best basketball player on the planet on their roster, and as a result they receive as much media coverage as any American pro sports team. The same would hold true if LeBron James played for another team.
Jeff Green is in his first season with Cleveland, and he’s had to adjust to the heightened media scrutiny. He discussed the media’s obsession with all things Cavs-related in an appearance on the HoopsHype Podcast.
“Any day, they try to figure out a story about the Cleveland Cavaliers, more so number 23,” Green said.
Green said he was unaware of how intense the spotlight would be when he arrived in Cleveland.
“But after a couple weeks it was getting pretty ridiculous because of the stories being made up about what was going on, what was happening, you name it,” Green said. “There were a lot of stories put out there that were false. And when you’re playing with one of the best players to ever play this game, that comes with the territory, I’m starting to realize.”
Players can increasingly control their own message with outlets like social media, Uninterrupted, and The Players’ Tribune. Still, however, they remain powerless to a certain extent.
“I mean, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Green said. “You just have to accept what they put out there and know in house what the truth is and how we’re dealing with that as a team, because it gets to a point where you can’t believe everything you hear. And we have, as a team, learned to cope with that and to deal with that throughout the year.”
The podcast features a fascinating conversation between Green and Alex Kennedy, one of the best young NBA reporters. At another point of the interview, Green shared that he thought his NBA career was over in 2012 when, shortly after signing with the Celtics, he was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm.
“It definitely humbled me to appreciate and value life way more,” Green said.
Kennedy and Green also discussed Cleveland’s rabid trade deadline and the veteran swingman’s experience playing in Seattle, among other topics. Listen to the full podcast below.
