Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James plans to address the nagging issue of photographers sitting far too close to the action during union meetings this summer.
James suffered bloody cuts on his head in Game 4 of the NBA Finals last week, after landing on—or jumping into—a camera along the baseline.
Players Association head Michel Roberts says the images are great, but that there has to be a better (less dangerous) way to capture them.
Per the NEOMG:
“During the Players Association meetings in July, I’ll have some points that will be announced,” James said. […] James is still perturbed after his head-to-electronic device encounter on Thursday in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. In the second quarter Andrew Bogut fouled him in mid-air and James’ momentum sent him flying headfirst into a video camera held by a cameraman stationed on the baseline behind the basket.
The right side of his head struck the camera, causing a bloody gash. He received several stitches after the game and said he suffered a slight headache. This wasn’t James’ first dust-up with a cameraman this postseason. […] In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, he stepped on the foot of a cameraman sitting on the sideline, turning his right ankle.
Michele Roberts, the Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association, said in this day and age it’s no longer necessary for photographers to set up shop on the baseline, and that it’s time for a change. […] “While I appreciate and enjoy up-close action shots of game play, do they really need to be that close to the action?” Roberts asked in a statement. “I am no techno geek, but haven’t we evolved such that we can capture that action without being within inches of the game? Frankly for both the safety of the players and the camera men and women, we need to find a better solution.”
