We’re still not sure what is going to happen with the NBA in the upcoming months. Fans are waiting to see how the league’s front office will manage to continue this season once the coronavirus crisis is under control, but it’s not 100% secure that we will see the 2019/20 season resumes after all this situation is gone.
The association is reportedly looking for alternatives to play out the rest of the season, as well as studying formats to carry out the playoffs and crown a new champion. However, there is still this possibility of not seeing basketball at all this season, which could be a major hit for the league and its players.
According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, in the case that the league decides to cancel the remainder of the season, they can take 1.1 percent from the players’ salaries for each game that is not played. He adds that for a high-paid player like LeBron James, that could mean he loses $400k per game.
If games are canceled, the league can deduct approximately 1.1 percent for each lost contest (including about 5.6 playoff games per team). For a high-paid All-Star like LeBron James, he’d be on the hook for over $400,000 per game.
While players typically receive their final paycheck Nov. 1, months after the season ended, a select few have accelerated pay schedules, including James. By force majeure, James would need to “promptly pay the difference directly” to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The definite suspension of the league would be a major blow for the players, especially those who don’t get big checks as Bron does. Of course, James won’t suffer because he won’t get those payments, but the entire NBA community wants to see basketball again, not talk about how much money LeBron is losing in every game he doesn’t play.
Before the league entered the hiatus, LBJ was leading the Los Angeles Lakers (49-14) to have the best record in the West. He signed a four-year, $153.5 million maximum contract with the Lakers back in 2018; he was set to make $37,436,858 this campaign, but that number could be different for him if the league decides there won’t be more basketball this year.
