LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers haven't had much of a presence in the 2024 NBA Playoffs after being meekly bounced in the first round by the Denver Nuggets.
Losing a series in just five games to last year's champions, James and the Lakers have been little more than an NBA afterthought as some of the league's youngest stars have taken center stage in the playoffs.
(The best player on each of the final four teams left are 25-year-old Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, 22-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, 26-year-old Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and 24-year-old Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.)
But that doesn't mean James has stayed out of headlines -- he's just in them now for the wrong reasons.
In fact, there's a good chance the NBA is going to be livid with its premiere star after the scene James recently found himself in.
First, a quick bit of background: Watching every NBA game is a costly endeavor for the league's fans.
Your options are either traditional cable packages (not cheap), NBA League Pass (which comes in at a pricey $23 a month) or ... less savory (read: illegal) means.
There are a number of illegal streaming sites -- which The Western Journal obviously won't link to, but they are incredibly easy to find -- that broadcast major sports games, and the only thing you will need to pay for is an internet connection.
Surely you can see where this is going.
The 39-year-old James went viral after a clip surfaced of him attending a youth basketball game on Friday night. Next to James was an unidentified man who was clearly using StreamEast -- one of the most popular of the illegal streaming sites -- to watch Game 2 of the Mavs-Wolves Western Conference Finals.
You can view the viral clip for yourself below:
even LeBron using Stream East 😭 pic.twitter.com/tDt25fvDyV
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 25, 2024
According to the website Awful Announcing, in the clip, the polarizing James was attending the Nike EYBL tournament on Friday. He was watching his AAU team, Team Strive For Greatness, play.
Now, in total fairness to James, it's not clear what, if any, relationship he has with the person sitting next to him. In the video, James did appear to speak briefly to the man, so they might at least be acquainted.
It's also not abundantly clear that James was actually partaking in utilizing StreamEast to catch up on the Mavs-Wolves series (Dallas leads the series 2-0 going into Sunday's critical Game 3).
Regardless, this is an abjectly awful look for the league.
If the mystery man using StreamEast was indeed a James associate, or if James himself was actually using StreamEast to watch the NBA, neither of which is clear from this clip, that's horrible for the league.
James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, has made an eye-watering $479 million from his playing career alone, per Spotrac. That doesn't include endorsements, bonuses and other outside business ventures he's had.
If he doesn't want to pay for NBA League Pass, how in the world could the NBA expect 9-5 workers to pay for the premium subscription service?
Now, if James has nothing to do with this mystery man and his StreamEast proclivities, it's still not a great look for the NBA.
While James may be the reason the clip is certifiably viral, it can't be understated just how prevalent illegal sports streaming is -- and that's an issue afflicting the NFL and MLB, as well.
(It'll be interesting to see if the WNBA's recent surge in popularity will lead to more illegal streaming sites carrying their games.)
This is a real problem for all sports leagues, and no amount of warning is stemming the tide. Yes, StreamEast and other illegal streaming services include the part of sports broadcasts where a stern voice declares that "Any rebroadcast, retransmission, or account of this game, without the express written consent of Major League Baseball/the National Football League/the National Basketball Association, is prohibited."
The fact that anyone around James' inner circle -- or at least within his orbit at a Nike tournament -- is flippantly and publicly using this illegal service should be a major concern for the league. In fact, "scandal" is a fair word for it.
While a glass-half-full approach might suggest that interest in the NBA is at an all-time high, it still doesn't change the fact that thousands (millions?) are being priced out of watching NBA playoff games, and thus turning to illegal means to watch sports.
Whether or not the NBA's biggest star is using illegal streaming services to watch basketball games is almost beside the point.
Illegal sports streaming is everywhere, and it's now getting uncomfortably close to some of the biggest star athletes on the planet -- if it's not already there.
