Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas highlighted one of the major concerns he has regarding today’s players during an appearance on The Mark Jackson Show. When asked about the NBA offering financial motivation with big prize money for the cup, Thomas stated he had no problem with players making money but added some of them need to realize they have to keep the door open for those after them.
“As a former president of the union, I am extremely happy when players can make money,” Thomas said. “And I want the players to make as much money as they possibly can. My worry about today’s players is not understanding the importance of, ‘Hey, you got to keep the door open for the next generation.’
“There’s a certain authenticity that you bring to the floor every night to make sure that the golden goose that we got, that we live on, you’re protecting it for the next generation,” Thomas continued. “What I see now, not all but some, they not thinking about the next generation.
“They only think about what’s good for them right now,” Thomas added. “Now, the money is good, and I want them all to make more money. But I also want them to protect the golden goose and come to the game and come to the arena, and let people know that, ‘Hey, we got a real good thing here and we want to keep it going,'”
Thomas makes some very valid points there. The likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan left the NBA in a great place when they walked away from the game and they’re a big reason why today’s players make the kind of money that they do.
The average annual salary in this 2024-25 season is $11.1 million according to Basketball Reference while the median is $5.6 million. There was a time in the NBA when only a couple of players made a million a year and that changed because those greats of the past elevated the league.
The audience gravitated to the likes of Johnson, Bird, and Jordan for how great they were and for the respect they treated the game with. They could have never been accused of “cheating” the game in a way that some of today’s players are.
There does seem to be a greater disconnect between the fans and the players now than at any time in the past and there are multiple reasons for it, with load management being one. While the disconnect won’t necessarily hurt this generation, it will hurt future ones.
The NBA’s television ratings were reportedly down 19% through the semifinals of the Cup as compared to last year. If that trend continues in the years that follow, you won’t see television companies scrambling to win the league’s media rights.
The NBA signed an 11-year deal valued at $77 billion with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon this year and it kicks in from the 2025-26 season through the 2035-36 season. It’s clear these giants still believe in the league but if the day ever comes that they stop, that would be that.
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