Generally, if someone decides to not show up to work there are usually consequences. That goes for NBA players as well, though the consequences they face for missing games are obviously different from what a regular person would face for skipping work.
The NBA can fine players for missing games, and there are currently some prominent players that are set to lose millions if they follow through with their plans. Instagram page Basketball Forever has made a post featuring the players that are set to lose the most money during the 2021-22 season.
Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins, and Ben Simmons have all been in the news recently, partly due to the fact that all three of these players have been projected to miss many regular-season games.
Ben Simmons will likely continue to be fined and lose money as long as he doesn’t show up and play for the 76ers. It has been reported by Adrian Wojnarowski that Ben Simmons intends to never play another game for the 76ers, and if Simmons follows through with that, he could potentially lose $19,574,718. On top of that, he will be facing a $1,300,000 fine for not showing up to training camp, bringing his total loss to $20,874,718.
Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins are in a similar situation, where both players’ availability has been called into question due to their vaccination status, as they may not be able to play in home games due to the laws in their respective areas. Both players could be set to miss a little more than half the season, with Irving potentially missing 44 games, and Wiggins missing 43. The total amount they’d each lose per game is different, but they would both end up losing a lot of money, with Irving losing $18,735,521 and Wiggins losing $16,559,902.
It remains to be seen whether the players listed will change their situations, or end up losing out on millions of dollars. Hopefully though, we see all three play in the future, and perhaps they can figure things out prior to the start of the season.
