Officiating, Load Management Voted Top Issues in NBA in Anonymous Player Poll

NBA players are concerned about officiating and load management.

The Athletic conducted an anonymous poll of 108 current players, and those were the top two topics seen as issues for those who answered.

Officiating has been under the spotlight this season, from the NBA referees issuing an official apology for a missed foul call on a LeBron James drive during a January game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics to Luka Dončić getting fined for flashing a money symbol at an official to an executive who called the refereeing "embarrassing," per Tom Haberstroh of Meadowlark Media.

"The trust that these players and teams and coaches and executives have with officiating, I think it's as low as it's been since I've been covering the league," the executive said.

As for load management, that will be under an even brighter spotlight under the new collective bargaining agreement since players will need to appear in at least 20 minutes of 65 different games to win awards such as MVP and be recognized on All-NBA teams.

Requirements like that means the issue will likely remain one of the biggest ones in the league for players and executives navigating the new normal for years to come.