Miami Heat: LeBron James Chooses Not To Run For NBPA President

LeBron James decided against running for position of president of the players’ union.

After talking with advisors and fellow players, LeBron James has decided not to run for president of the National Basketball Players’ Association, sources told ESPN.com.

James had been considering taking over from former president Derek Fisher, but is apparently going to support teammate and current NBPA treasurer James Jones. LeBron has gotten more involved in union business over the last two years. He attended some bargaining sessions during the 2011 lockout and then spoke up at a meeting over All-Star weekend last season when Fisher’s predecessor, Billy Hunter, was replaced.

After saying, “I just the think the union is going backwards and it’s not in a good place right now,” many believed James would take the reins with the union holding its meeting in Las Vegas next week and with the NBPA currently without an executive director or a president.

If elected, James would have been the most high-profile star to lead the union since Patrick Ewing held the role more than 15 years ago. But with so many demands on his time, James decided not to put his hand up. Also, good friend and Clippers superstar Chris Paul is rumoured to be another potential candidate after ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith declared that the point guard would only throw his hat in the ring if James chose not to.

When speaking of the decision of whether to run or not, James said, “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,” later adding, “I think my voice could be huge in that situation.”

The NBPA needs a big name to retake lost ground after the new collective bargaining agreement saw players lose ground to owners. Chris Paul would be a worthy president due to his status and power that holds, but he has time restraints, like James, and completing both full-time jobs could be difficult. Jones, a role player with the Miami Heat, would have more free time to allocate to the position and could possibly have James or Paul as an advisor for any big decisions.