Charles Barkley Goes Off On Modern-Day Salaries For NBA Players: “We’re Paying Bums Today…”

Former NBA superstar gives hot take on modern NBA player salaries.

3 Min Read

Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

As a top 75 player in NBA history, Charles Barkley was one of the league’s highest earners during his day, with a career earning total of $40.3 million.

While that sounds like a lot to the average citizen, it’s chump change in today’s NBA, with guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Bradley Beal all making close to $40 million per year.

On the subject of today’s inflated salaries and the kind of players who gave secured them, Chuck said on ESPN’s First Take this week that he believes teams have gotten far too loose with their money.

“I don’t want to offend anybody, but we’re paying janitors, we’re paying plumbers, we’re paying bums today,” said Barkley. “We’re just giving $200-300 million out like candy. I’m not bad, you get whatever they pay you. I just hope you appreciate that you the luckiest dude in the world who was born at the right time. But it has nothing to do with the money anymore.”

Players have gained a lot of power and status over the years, and that has translated into more financial opportunities. Thanks to the success of the league and solid viewership numbers, teams today have more money to offer than they’ve ever had before.

And while Chuck didn’t name any players by name, it’s clear that he only sees the top 5-10 players in the league as deserving of that kind of money.


Are NBA Athletes Overpaid In Today’s NBA?

Typically, max money was reserved for only the elite of the elite. Recently, that has changed in a huge way, and guys who are classified as sidekicks or secondary stars can secure more money in a single contract than Charles Barkley earned in his entire career.

Couple that fact with load management and an overall increase in player power, and the case can be made that players have it way better now than at any point in NBA history.

Of course, players are also overall just better than they were in Barkley’s day. The league is deeper and more talented than it’s ever been and continues to get more and more competitive every year.

So you can’t blame the players for accepting the money that’s offered to them, especially because most of them have earned it with impressive play.

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Nico Martinez is a veteran staff writer for Fadeaway World from Brooklyn, New York. He joined Fadeaway World in 2016 and is currently residing in Columbia, South Carolina. Nico holds a degree in Sports Management from Columbia International University where he built a strong foundation in the inner workings of sports media and management. Nico's contributions have significantly enhanced the credibility and depth of Fadeaway World's content, earning him recognition across the sports journalism community. His work has been discussed in prestigious publications like Sports Illustrated. A dedicated follower of LeBron James, Nico often leads coverage on news related to the basketball star. With nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, Nico consistently provides comprehensive and timely basketball news, engaging a wide audience of basketball enthusiasts.Nico's most desired player to interview, past or present, is Kevin Durant. He is particularly keen on asking Durant if he has any regrets about his career, especially concerning his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and why he engages so much with fans on social media. 
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