James Lafferty blames NBA for Nathan's tragic arc on 'One Tree Hill'

One Tree Hill star James Lafferty recently revealed the surprising reason why his character Nathan Scott's basketball career didn't reach the NBA.

During a fan event hosted by Friends with Benefit Charity Events in Wilmington, N.C., Lafferty opened up about a behind-the-scenes obstacle that altered his character’s storyline.

Fans of the show will remember Nathan as a standout athlete whose promising basketball career was derailed by a spinal cord injury. However, Lafferty explained that the real reason for Nathan’s NBA dreams being cut short was due to the league's unwillingness to collaborate.

“The NBA itself didn't really want to play ball,” Lafferty said during the Q&A. He explained that while the show’s producers wanted to work Nathan's NBA career into the storyline, the league was “very protective” of its brand and wouldn't allow them to use its name or franchises.

Instead of creating a fictional basketball league, the show used the Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets) for a limited time but couldn’t incorporate an official NBA presence. 

"We didn't really want to have a bunch of fake NBA teams and some fake league that nobody would actually buy was real," Lafferty added.