Garry Shandling had a vision for his 1990s HBO cult classic The Larry Sanders Show. It rhymes with NBA life, perhaps our most “Hollywood” sports culture.
‘The Larry Sanders Show’ is about people who love each other but show business gets in the way. All stories are about something blocking love
The dynamics are stacked against a lot of NBA teammates remaining friends. This is a league where the business reliably gets in the way. If your co-star is doing better, he’s getting more touches, which means you’re getting fewer. His success is now a threat to your acclaim and money. In baseball, teammates generally like each other better because success isn’t zero sum. In basketball, someone has to sacrifice, leading to resentments. Winning an NBA championship often necessitates transcending these natural tensions, but the post-title “Disease of More” will bring them right back, even worse.
The warming Cold War between current Celtics star Jayson Tatum and oft-disgruntled former Celtics star (now current 76ers star) Jaylen Brown is a high profile example of this issue. The two were billed as basketball brothers, a bond Tatum still touts. Clearly, there was a divorce, and only one of the guys wants to admit it. Even if I prefer Jayson Tatum as a personality, his pretense reflects an obnoxious aspect of the fading Player Empowerment Era: These guys will dictate, but almost never own, action. And Jaylen Brown, who represents other annoying aspects of the Player Empowerment Era, is calling his former teammate on this sleight of hand.