It’s rather insane when you think about it. The rookie max extension has doubled in the past 6-7 years. It used to be $80 million. ESPN and TNT overpaying for the rights has been good to the NBA and its players lol.
Because it's harder to make it to NBA. You need to be at least 6ft, with rare cases of smaller players making it to NBA, if they are crazy talented. Your team plays 82 games every season + playoffs if you make it there. And the game is becoming more popular worldwide than ever before which is why basketball players get paid more nowadays. It's simple. But everyone thinks their job should pay them more, it's in human nature.
Its easy when you only have to pay 15 people total. That and the fact that there's a cap on how much owners can pay the 2-3 players that are actually responsible for winning and generating revenue for the team, everybody else makes waaaaay over what their actual value is.
Gotta thank Michael Jordan for globalizing the sport like that man. NBA brings in an insane amount of revenue as a result, coupled with great player representation, in an industry that is EXTREMELY specialized and rigorous to get into...and it makes perfect sense why they get paid what they get paid. Deservingly so, might I add. Quit pocket watching and go work on ya jump shot nikka
This. The NBA is benefitting from a bubble right now that is about to burst unless a new Michael Jordan emerges to generate high ratings once again. ESPN and TNT are not gonna pay these deals once again if ratings stay as pathetic as they've been the last 2 years.
Its more the about the huge ass TV deals ESPN paid last time because they thought live sports would survive cord cutting. Now that NBA ratings have collapsed you won't see a similar leap in deals next go around. At best these contracts will remain as the high water mark for the next 10 years unless a new Jordan emerges that creates another surge in ratings.
It jumped from $966 million to $2.6 billion a year with the last new television deal. That type of substantial jump isn’t happening again the next contract. They will likely get a bump in pay, but not even close to $1.6 billion increase they happened previously.
The question should be why do UFC fighters get paid so little when they have PPV events with millions of buys. They are not unionized and frankly the average mma fighter doesn't seem that smart. The matchmakers are watching them bash their faces in while pocketing millions.
Yeah a combination of both since they came in the same year. Lean more towards MJ tho, gotta remember he was the first athlete going overseas like how you seen nikkas like Kobe or Bron goin to China and all that for them Lil camps and shyt.Most popular person probably in the world, team ran it for a decade etc etc etc...hell if I’m not mistaken even Stern himself done credited Jordan for the expansion of the league. But wateva, point still stands in regards to the op
The same weirdos that like to clown the NBA for it’s ratings but NBA players get guaranteed money and more than a lot of sports