LeBron James Reportedly Will Not Run for President of NBA Players Union

Days after saying to ESPN that his "voice could be huge," LeBron James has reportedly decided not to run for president of the National Basketball Players Association.

Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports has the news:

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After days of careful consideration and research, Miami Heat star LeBron James decided he will not run for president or first vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, a person familiar with James' decision told USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about James' plans.

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As James recently stated, the NBPA is "not in a good place right now." Former executive director Billy Hunter was fired earlier this year. Meanwhile, Derek Fisher's term as president ended this summer after plenty of scrutiny and the 2011 collective bargaining agreement wasn't ideal for the players. 

Jerry Stackhouse told Ken Berger of CBS Sports he thought LeBron was "misinformed" on the latest with the state of the union:

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He's the best player in the game right now and we want the entire league to be involved. But he needs to be informed in speaking on our union business. I don't think he's had any dialogue with anybody since the All-Star break, but it is what it is. To make that statement about where we are as a union right now, he was misinformed.

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The reigning finals and regular-season MVP would have undoubtedly brought some major star power to the position—as ESPN's Brian Windhorst notes, the most since Patrick Ewing was president in the '90s—and had many excited about the potential clout he'd have.    

Nevertheless, according to Zillgitt, James simply doesn't have enough time.

LeBron reportedly was well aware of the responsibility that came with holding a position of this magnitude and, as such, wanted to be sure he could give 100 percent focus to the job.    

As one of the most popular stars in the NBA with an already jam-packed schedule—James recently all but put an end to his international basketball career for the same reason—that wouldn't have been possible.

Still, he has indicated that he wants to make his voice heard even though he won't be supervising the union. 

With James out of the running, Zillgitt reports that Roger Mason Jr., who is currently the NBPA executive committee vice president, is a candidate to replace Fisher when the union votes in Las Vegas next week. 

It's unclear at this time who will replace Hunter.