Seeing union in trouble, LeBron mulling NBPA president run

Speaking at length for the first time since the end of the NBA Finals, two-time NBA champion LeBron James said that the National Basketball Players Association is "not in a good place right now" in an interview with ESPN. He confirmed that he is considering a run for the union presidency, saying that his voice could carry a lot of weight in a union he currently sees as "going backwards."

NBPA team representatives voted unanimously in February to remove executive director Billy Hunter from office. According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, James took a strong role in the meeting, saying that the union was broken and needed to be rebuilt. Hunter attempted to persuade the NBPA to spend millions of dollars in a failing bank that had his son on its board of directors, much to the chagrin of the union. Hunter also failed to seek proper player approval for his five-year, $15 million contract extension in 2010.

FOX Sports' Jason Whitlock reported July 31 that James was considering a run for the union presidency. At the time, I dismissed the story as Whitlock attempting to get Web traffic during the NBA off-season. But James is considering this leadership role with the NBPA, so Whitlock's source was apparently correct. It remains to be seen whether the four-time NBA MVP will indeed seek to reform the tattered players union.