When basketball fans have no sporting action to follow in peak offseason and only business deals and off-court activities to read about, they often indulge in heated debates over past incidents or player comparisons.
Following Luka Doncic’s $165 million contract extension, HoopsHype’s social media account noted that Luka Doncic has already reached the Top 25 list (at rank 24) in All-Time career earnings guaranteed to a player. They posted a list of players above him on that list, which shocked NBA fans across the world.
The discussion started from a fan pointing out Paul George’s career earnings. The 76ers veteran has earned over half a billion dollars in a career where he never even won a championship. Meanwhile, no retired NBA players even appear on this list; the next one is Kevin Garnett, who would’ve ranked 27 on this list.
This list did not sit well with fans as they expressed their sheer disbelief on social media. They also started pointing out other baffling names on this list.
“All that money for never making a finals or even being a top 3 player lmao”
“Scammed the living hell out of teams,”
Several reactions resonated the same sentiment about Paul George.
“You’re talking about PG, but Embiid is the ridiculous one.”
“Embiid straight robbing.”
Joel Embiid and George, who are currently teammates on the 76ers, have combined to earn over $1 billion without even making the NBA Finals, let alone winning a championship. But in their primes, they were both dominant players until injuries ruined the trajectories of their careers.
“Can we talk about Booker being #3 with only 10 years played?”
Devin Booker has been the franchise player of his team ever since he was drafted. A decade into his career, he is still the main cornerstone for the Suns. Therefore, his loyalty seems to have rewarded him as he has now signed the largest contract in NBA history, in terms of annual average value, earning $72.5 million per year in his latest extension.
“Hey, so Jamal Murray is on this list, and no one’s saying anything.”
Jamal Murray is another example, alongside Devin Booker, of a player who was valued due to his loyalty in his prime. Murray has only played for the Nuggets his entire career and is entering the ninth season of his career. Just goes to show that loyalty is valued in business, even today.
“SGA is going to come close to a Billi before he’s done playing.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed the largest contract in NBA history, in terms of annual average value of the contract, before he was supplanted by Devin Booker’s extension a bit later. The Finals MVP has earned his name on this list after leading the Thunder to their first NBA championship.
“Bradley Beal too, these n***** just out here robbing franchises blind lmao”
Bradley Beal was the franchise player in the Wizards when he signed arguably the worst contract in NBA history. Not for him, but for the teams he was on. The Wizards managed to get a significant return for him from the Suns, but they eventually took a bigger hit when they bought him out eventually with two seasons left on his contract.
“Jrue Holiday $400M WTF”
Jrue Holiday is a two-time champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. I don’t understand why his inclusion in this list is a surprise to anyone.
“Super crazy how nobody in the ’90s is on this list.”
Here is where fans seem to have forgotten about inflation and the growth of the league over the years. If old players’ earnings are adjusted as per inflation and standards in the league at the time, this list would look extremely different.
Six NBA players have surpassed $500 million, and 20 have surpassed $400 million. Players are now earning manifold more than what they did earlier. A lot of the credit for this goes to the NBA media deals that have ensured that the league is growing at a solid pace. We cannot blame players for taking advantage of a booming league in front of them.
