Not stopping the match to honor LeBron James’ 40,000 point moment, the NBA was criticized by Kevin Garnet

LeBron James became the first player to reach 40,000 points in the NBA. It may be a long time before a player reaches this great milestone like the LA Lakers superstar did. Therefore, according to Kevin Garnet, the NBA should have stopped the match to honor this historic moment.

James officially reached the 40,000 point milestone in the match against the Denver Nuggets. But it wasn’t until timeout that James was honored with a video tribute and awarded the match ball. According to Garnet, that’s not enough. Sharing with former teammate Paul Pierce on the show Ticket & The Truth, Garnet said:

“At halftime, they needed our All-Star jersey, we had to take it off and put on a completely new jersey. Do you know why?” Garnett asked Pierce rhetorically. “Because they auctioned off those shirts.”

Garnett talked about a problem that often occurs at the NBA All-Star game, when players are asked to change into completely new uniforms at halftime. And the outfits they used in the first 2 rounds will be auctioned. The former Boston Celtics star talks about the trend of commercialization and “codification” of important moments in NBA history.

If the league’s current practices were applied in the 1961/62 season, Garnett added, “they would have done the same thing with Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game”.

Therefore, according to Garnet, the NBA did not do well enough with James’ historic 40,000-point scoring moment. According to him, it was a historic moment for the tournament and the NBA side needs to do more.

“They should have stopped the match. They should have paid tribute and when we come to Massachusetts, we will display the jersey from that historic moment – not just the ball but also the jersey, shoes, socks… whatever he wear for $40,000. That’s how things should have happened.”

The Massachusetts Garnet mentions is the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., which houses countless artifacts honoring the greatest moments in NBA history.

Like James, Garnett entered the NBA without going through college. Both are also among the most durable players in the NBA. Garnett retired after his 21st season, while James is making history in his 21st year in the NBA. Perhaps that’s why he wanted to speak up for his junior’s historic moment.