If you were a NBA Superstar

[beau_boy04]

I remenber back in the 90's MJ was getting paid 2-3.8 millions for the most part of his career. Did he do that in purpose sacrifying his own salary which allowed the Bulls to get good players thru the free agency?

Anyways, if you were a superstar would you sacrifice your own salary and won't demand a max by the end of your rookie contract?

If it were me and I knew my team was struggling I think i would and by doing so it'll allow my team to get better players out of the free agency.

I give u some example: KG is getting paid 21 millions, Shaq's 20 millions, Kobe's 17.7 millions so on and so forth. Well how do u expect your team to get good players if your salary is like 30% of the team salary?

I give you a better example: Lebron James almost 100 millions endorsement contract with Nike and who knows how many more millions he's getting thru endorsements and whatnot. Then why demand a max contract and limit your team's future?

So would you do it? say you're a big time superstar and by the time of your rookie contract sign for like a 4 millions contract with say .25% increment every year, or whatever the case may be but not demand a max?

[1CenT]

I like this question, for Lebron James specifically, i would sacrifice the pay, he is getting 100 of millions in endorsements.

But when you think about taking a mid level contract instead of a max, thats like 80 million compare to like 50 million, thats 30 million dollars.

Would you rather help out people with that 30 million dollar(say by charity or whatever) or leave that money for the team to spend to try to win.

I love basketball, and if i was in the league, i'll try really hard to win, but most of these players grew up knowing what it is like to be super poor ( i don't )

I think these players would love to build a foundation and help out children, so that extra few million dollars would really help.

[nylia]

i dont think it was his choice... it was just the standard back then. NBA wasnt as rich as it is now.. thats why his last couple years he was getting paid 20-30million/year...

I remenber back in the 90's MJ was getting paid 2-3.8 millions for the most part of his career. Did he do that in purpose sacrifying his own salary which allowed the Bulls to get good players thru the free agency?

[Andrew]

i dont think it was his choice... it was just the standard back then. NBA wasnt as rich as it is now.. thats why his last couple years he was getting paid 20-30million/year...

I remenber back in the 90's MJ was getting paid 2-3.8 millions for the most part of his career. Did he do that in purpose sacrifying his own salary which allowed the Bulls to get good players thru the free agency?

Exactly. $20+ million deals simply weren't thrown around until the late 90s. It wasn't a matter of yesterday's elite players sacrificing their own salary for the good of the team - remember, the salary cap was also smaller so their deals would still account for a sizeable chunk of the available cap room - though the mid 90s did see a trend of young players holding a team to ransom (or trying to, anyway) before they had necessarily established themselves. Glenn Robinson is a noteable example of a rookie (and number one pick, no less) holding out for a big payday before he'd played a single minute in the league.

[Metsis]

Shaq could have gotten 30 million dollar deal with Miami, but he took only 20 million.

If you are a superstar you are supposed to earn at least 10 million a year. Heck, even Nene is earning that money and he isn't that spectacular...

As a superstar rookie, would I take a 4 million dollar deal with pay increases each year, HELL NO!!! Who would... If the 3ppg guy next to you is making 6 million... But if the question was would I take 15 million instead of 20 million to help the team... Then the answer could be different...

All of us that rumage these boards are playing basket ball for fun... Either on the consoles and PC's or for real etc. But this question is more like, "ok, trainee #2, we are going to make you our CEO, but we will keep your salary at the 1500 dollar mark, is that ok for you???"... Wouldn't it feel fishy at least. And who would take that deal??? No one. For NBA players, this is their job, this is where they make their money and they only have around 15 years to get the money which other normal people accumulate over 40-50 years time. And when you are doing work, you want to be compensated for it... So the road of all high and mighty, I'll make the team better by getting under payed, is a no go...

Let's say that you take the 4 million dollars... The money they had reserved for you was around 15 million... Now they got 11 million extra... And they bring in some washed up veteran with an 11 million dollar paycheck on him... Or better yet, they bring in someone who will take your place as the leader of the team... You can say it's all alright, but with time, you'll be sorry... After partying and blowing off that 4 million a year, you might end up with a 10 year career and you have nothing to show for it... Except that huge house that you can no longer afford. That you will have to sell... With no education to get a real job, you would be lost after your playing days were over.

And what if you as a young stud, happen to stumble upon a career ending injury! That would make your life a struggle from now on. Like a leg injury that would make it even hard to walk... With a four million contract, you would be bought out for 20 million and thats it...

If you are really willing to work for minimum wage, go do it... There are tons of jobs out there, but if you are looking to get some sort of a payday during your regular work, don't go shooting NBA superstars for wanting more money... LeBron James has worked a dozen years already to get to this point... He could have worked for 10+ years and end up not being drafted and flipping burgers at the McDonalds... There are no guarrantees. There are literally thousands of kids in the US that believe they will be the next Jordan's and Shaq's and Kobe's and literally speaking, none of them are... It's a one in a million shot at best... So if you were that lucky one, you would give up your chance for a payday, that you have worked for 15 years of your 25 year life??????

When hell freezes over...

[~LikeWater~]

If KG wants to ever get that championship, He needs to sacrifice his damn 20MIL! frick Id settle for 1 MIL! lol dammit KG, get sum other bad ass players on ur team, stop hogging the cap! (no hard feelings, ur still my favourite playa!)

[Matt]

It all depends on how much you want to win? Ideally you want to make 20mill and win championships. Anyone out there that makes 20mill+ and has huge endorsement contracts and says they wanna win is bullshitting, no matter how hard they play (KG). You can't win by killing your teams cap. Let's face it, players are greedy.

The only way to win and get 20 mill is by already having a championship ready team and signing an extension.

[Nick]

Quote from Reggie Miller

I would trade all of the 25,000 points I scored and all of my fourth-quarter heroics for a ring," Miller said. "You are judged by wins and losses, but the ring defines you. Personally, I was never able to get it done. That has left me with an empty feeling in my stomach."

I wonder if he would trade his millions of dollars though.

[nylia]

here is maybe one thing you guys all know but don't take into account on why players want $$$$$$$... most of the players in the NBA have leeches on them. their friends, families, posies... even people they don't know benefit from them...

i think i read an article about this when boozer signed with the Utah Jazz.

If KG wants to ever get that championship, He needs to sacrifice his damn 20MIL! frick Id settle for 1 MIL! lol dammit KG, get sum other bad ass players on ur team, stop hogging the cap! (no hard feelings, ur still my favourite playa!)

[cheater1034]

I wish LeBron would settle for less money :\ lol
I'd settle for 1 mil if I was an NBA superstar :-p

I think it's because of the richness of the NBA as stated above, and the value of a dollar used to be a lot higher back then.

It's a shame, MLB/NFL/NBA players should not get paid as much as they do, I know they sacrifice their bodies, but 60 mil?!?!?!

[beau_boy04]

I wish they had something like this in the NBA where you as a owner are able to restructure players salary sort of like what Peyton Manning did:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=a ... &type=lgns

they probably will implement that in the future, I would also like to see clauses on contract stating if player don't improve and hasn't shown sign of improvement his paycheck will be cut 25% off... just to give u an example >> K Brown from LA.

[Bruce]

well, I think that is why the nba has the "bird's rights" rule, and max contract rules these days. Should the nba think that players are getting more than they should, then they should lower the max.

That is why if we use the knicks as an example, you should know that

1. you don't need francis if you got steph
2. you don't trade an expiring contract for jalen rose
3. malik rose is not worth 7 mil, don't trade for him
4. jerome james' value is no where near mid level $$$

most team are within the luxury tax threshold, and are just waiting for some bad contracts to expire... except for the knicks...

but ultimately I think the salary cap and the limits set by nba are really good, and i'd say they are right on the money. but of course the nba can't control gm and teams from making dumbass deals.

[Riot]

It all depends on how much you want to win? Ideally you want to make 20mill and win championships. Anyone out there that makes 20mill+ and has huge endorsement contracts and says they wanna win is bullshitting, no matter how hard they play (KG). You can't win by killing your teams cap. Let's face it, players are greedy.

The only way to win and get 20 mill is by already having a championship ready team and signing an extension.

That's not always true. The league has a soft cap rule so even if you are over the cap it won't really hinder your team that much. You need an owner who is willing to fork over some money for a winning team though. You'll still get the MLE if you are over the cap and you can still make trades as long as it is within the $100,000 + 10% rule (or is it 15%)? The only thing it limits is free agency but how many players really travel from team to team via free agency that is not because of the MLE? It's very little.

So in essence, you could say the large salaries are hurting teams but that really isn't the case. You just need an owner who wants to spend money to win and a general manger who can use that money wisely and get the right players. Obviously, it would be easier if the superstar took less money because you would have more wiggle room and room for error but that never is the case in today's NBA.

[Jugs]

If I was an NBA superstar, I'd sex 20,000 women.

[Matt]

I'd do that if i was a scrub

[beau_boy04]

If I was an NBA superstar, I'd sex 20,000 women.

and have a kid with each one of them so my legacy is all over the place

[Andrew]

All of us that rumage these boards are playing basket ball for fun... Either on the consoles and PC's or for real etc. But this question is more like, "ok, trainee #2, we are going to make you our CEO, but we will keep your salary at the 1500 dollar mark, is that ok for you???"... Wouldn't it feel fishy at least. And who would take that deal??? No one. For NBA players, this is their job, this is where they make their money and they only have around 15 years to get the money which other normal people accumulate over 40-50 years time. And when you are doing work, you want to be compensated for it... So the road of all high and mighty, I'll make the team better by getting under payed, is a no go...

That's true, very few people in any occupation would be against making more money for what they do. Professional athletes and people in the entertainment industry generally earn an obscene amount of money but in those industries the money is there for the taking. The criticisms that are often lobbed at celebrities are somewhat hypocritical because most of us would do the same thing in their position or indeed our own jobs.

At the same time though, none of us would be able to hold our employer to ransom by refusing to come to work and outside of people fortunate enough to be handed high paying, cushy jobs early on in their careers merely due to their connections, we have to work our way up from the bottom if we want a big payday. So when a rookie comes along and sits out games refusing to sign a contract because he wants more money than more accomplished players are getting - as Glenn Robinson did - then it's going to rub people the wrong way. It's not about the amount he asked for, it's about how he went about trying to get it.

Having said that, it's certainly admirable when a player takes a paycut for the sake of his team making needed roster moves but you wouldn't expect a player like LeBron to sacrifice a big payday at this point of his career. Ultimately, executives are responsible for saddling teams with bad contracts since they're the ones who agreed to pay those players. Needless to say players and their agents are able to force a GM's hand but if you're going to agree to huge deals to questionable players then you've got to accept blame for the situation because no player is going to turn it down.

[Metsis]

All of us that rumage these boards are playing basket ball for fun... Either on the consoles and PC's or for real etc. But this question is more like, "ok, trainee #2, we are going to make you our CEO, but we will keep your salary at the 1500 dollar mark, is that ok for you???"... Wouldn't it feel fishy at least. And who would take that deal??? No one. For NBA players, this is their job, this is where they make their money and they only have around 15 years to get the money which other normal people accumulate over 40-50 years time. And when you are doing work, you want to be compensated for it... So the road of all high and mighty, I'll make the team better by getting under payed, is a no go...

That's true, very few people in any occupation would be against making more money for what they do. Professional athletes and people in the entertainment industry generally earn an obscene amount of money but in those industries the money is there for the taking. The criticisms that are often lobbed at celebrities are somewhat hypocritical because most of us would do the same thing in their position or indeed our own jobs.

At the same time though, none of us would be able to hold our employer to ransom by refusing to come to work and outside of people fortunate enough to be handed high paying, cushy jobs early on in their careers merely due to their connections, we have to work our way up from the bottom if we want a big payday. So when a rookie comes along and sits out games refusing to sign a contract because he wants more money than more accomplished players are getting - as Glenn Robinson did - then it's going to rub people the wrong way. It's not about the amount he asked for, it's about how he went about trying to get it.

Having said that, it's certainly admirable when a player takes a paycut for the sake of his team making needed roster moves but you wouldn't expect a player like LeBron to sacrifice a big payday at this point of his career. Ultimately, executives are responsible for saddling teams with bad contracts since they're the ones who agreed to pay those players. Needless to say players and their agents are able to force a GM's hand but if you're going to agree to huge deals to questionable players then you've got to accept blame for the situation because no player is going to turn it down.

That Glenn Robinson thing will always rub the wrong way... Like a employee strike usually rubs the employer the wrong way... But a single person cannot do such a thing in the working world. Thats why those 200-300 players are treated by other standards... It's not like you can replace them by getting someone from the streets.

But on Robinson's defense... He needed that early payday since he wasn't going to put up the work to get a real contract... Although he did get it anyway. Is Glenn playing any more BTW???

These things do destroy your personality in the eyes of others... GM's and job hunters will not recommend and hire people that they do not like and that is why your personality is the most important thing. Robinson fell out of favor, same goes for Isaiah Rider, a notoriously twisted player. And now it's Artest's turn... Your skills just won't get you recruited if your personality is all mixed up and you are a loose cannon... This is still the same in the NBA as it is in the "real" world too...

It's like your boss coming to you with a new contract with 500 dollars lower pay and explaining "so we can hire new people, were giving people pay cuts"... It doesn't work that way. There would be strikes and media etc. happening after that. So the STARS GET PAID WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO GET PAID... That's the norm of the world... The more irreplacable you are, the more you get paid for it. And NBA players are pretty damn irreplacable...

[Andrew]

But on Robinson's defense... He needed that early payday since he wasn't going to put up the work to get a real contract... Although he did get it anyway. Is Glenn playing any more BTW???

He quietly retired after winning a championship with the Spurs in 2005. At the very least, I can't remember reading he was interested in returning to the NBA even if he hasn't officially retired.

It's like your boss coming to you with a new contract with 500 dollars lower pay and explaining "so we can hire new people, were giving people pay cuts"... It doesn't work that way. There would be strikes and media etc. happening after that.

Well, people being forced to take a paycut isn't unheard of and doesn't necessarily mean a strike or media circus. At the very least a company can cut costs by making positions redundant or cutting employees back to casual or part time hours. It's harder to do when there's a union involved but it happens.

[3P]

Taking a paycut to make the team better is a thing a rookie will never do. Infact most players with under 10 years expiernce wouldn't. The only people who will do it are like Peyton and Mourning before they won the Championship last year, and all they wanted is to win just 1 championship. They already have plenty of money for the rest of their life, so taking a paycut isn't so hard. Also by taking a pay cut they would increase the odds of their dreams success. That is the only case that I think a player would take a paycut.

[Dan's Brain]

I think you always deserve more money when you're in the public eye. Every move you make is scrutinized, which can cause problems for a lot of people.

Not me though, i could cope.

[Matt]

There's a difference between an NBA player taking a cut and a regular joe

1. different amounts of money

2. NBA players compete for the championship, that will define their legacy. Regular Joe has no incentive. We all know that playing pro sports is more than just a job.

[maes]

I give u some example: KG is getting paid 21 millions, Shaq's 20 millions, Kobe's 17.7 millions so on and so forth. Well how do u expect your team to get good players if your salary is like 30% of the team salary?

I give you a better example: Lebron James almost 100 millions endorsement contract with Nike and who knows how many more millions he's getting thru endorsements and whatnot. Then why demand a max contract and limit your team's future?

As a fan, i couldn't agree more. That's the reason why it's tough to build a team around KG...he's taking up the salaries of 2 all-stars. That's why the Nets can't get a decent big man...Kidd & Carter are a walking salary cap by themselves.

As a realist, we have to realize that most of the NBA players are in it for the money not the love of the sport. If LeBron James could become CEO of some company and make double what he does now but have to give up basketball...he would instantly.

I remember reading an interview w/ LeBron back when he was a rookie, and one of the questions went like "What are your long term goals?" He answered something similar to "to become the one of the most powerful, influential men in the world." Nothing about scoring titles, EC champs, or championship rings...he's interested in money.

[cyanide]

Shaq could have gotten 30 million dollar deal with Miami, but he took only 20 million.

Didn't he still get the same amount of total money in the end? Like instead of $30 million for 5 years, he took $20 million for 7 years (for example).

[Sauru]

if i was a superstar i would only sign for the max after my rookie contract expired. i would go to any team who offered the max but if my current team was one of them i would auto sign with them (i believe in loyalty to a point). after my second contract was done and i had securred me families financial future and had proper investments set in place then i would be willing to take a reduced contract to help my team win if, and only if, i had some say in who they were to sign with it. not saying i want to pick and choose, but i would want my voice to be heard. at some point near the end of my career i would be willing to drop all the way down to league min with my current team if we were 1 player away from being a championship contender.