Isiah Thomas Thinks Some Of Today’s NBA Players Are Selfish And Don’t Care About The Next Generation

Isiah Thomas is worried that some of today's players aren't looking out for the next generation.

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Cleveland, OH, USA; NBA great Isiah Thomas during the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2022 NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Rocket Mortgage Field House. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

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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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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