The NBA lockout is more than a month old. Both sides have met once since the lockout began. And through it all, the NBPA's rank and file have largely been quiet.
But one man has the guts to call out David Stern. One player has stepped up to speak his mind, regardless of potential consequence.
Spencer Hawes.
Yeah, I know.
While LeBron, Kobe, Carmelo and other big names traipse about the globe without seeming to care a bit about what's going on, Spencer Hawes is using Twitter to speak up.
A few days ago, the story emerged that David Stern's salary might be upwards of $20 million. That's a hefty salary for a guy who's trying to eliminate those kinds of salaries from the game.
That did not go unnoticed:
Twitter / @spencerhawes00: 23 million a year for ster … via kwout
Amazingly, there are reports today that David Stern will forgo his salary until the lockout is over. Maybe I'm wrong here, but that seems to me that 1 + 1 added up to 2.
David Stern is amazingly conscious of his own PR. And when an athlete pipes up like Hawes did on Twitter, the following grows quickly. It doesn't take much for someone to get "cool" quickly on Twitter. And let me tell you, Hawes is starting to gain some momentum.
He's not letting up either. You can go check out his Twitter page if you'd like and catch what he's saying. Of course, this might end up with some retribution. I wouldn't be shocked if Hawes gets into A LOT of foul trouble next year.
But Hawes is undeterred. Maybe he'll inspire other players to finally start talking. Maybe he'll realize that player already own social media… and if they banded together on Twitter, it would create a huge wave of momentum. Not only would the people on Twitter fall in line, the mainstream media, and its obsession with famous people and athletes using Twitter, would grab hold. At least then it would be a fair labor fight.
Spencer Hawes is my new favorite player. Maybe I'll find a Seattle Sonics jersey (he's from Seattle) that I can get with his name on it. I'd get his current jersey, but there's no f-ing way I'd wear a Sixers jersey.
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