Hands up if you’ve dreamt of playing in the NBA. Hands up if you’ve dreamed of building a vault like Scrooge McDuck and swimming in gold coins. Keep them there if you feel like you deserve a lifestyle like a professional athlete. Charles Barkley has lived a complete life as one, and he feels that today’s youth are brainwashed into thinking that is the best lifestyle one can have.
Advertisement
He’s spoken to two sets of kids; only one thinks that being an entertainer is the way to go. The African American community has dreams revolving around making it out of the hood, and entertainment seems to be the only way.
Think about this: Michael Jordan, the greatest athlete of all time, has two sons. Where are those two sons now? One is running a business, and the other is hiding behind his father’s teammate’s ex-wife. Neither of them was good enough to be in the NBA, and they were the sons of the GOAT.
Not everyone gets to be a professional athlete; a lot of stars need to align. Even right now, fans speak a lot about Bronny and Bryce James, but they could very well be busts. not to say they are not good enough to make the top 400, but the real struggle begins from there.
Matt Ryan’s fairytale story of making it to the NBA could get cut short if he doesn’t play enough games. Things aren’t hunky dory—he gets paid less and gets less screen time than the Denver Nuggets mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion.
Also Read: “Closer to the Moon or L.A?”: Charles Barkley Ridicules Shaquille O’Neal for Alleged $4000 Tip
Charles Barkley has always spoken about important topics – he’s never hidden his mind about regular day problems
Charles Barkley said he was nobody’s role model. What he meant is that nobody wanted him as a role model, but they all needed him as one. Sir Charles is the Batman of today’s world—need and want are two different conversations.
Not every kid gets to be an NBA star; they can have dreams, but as Chuck preaches that you have to be realistic. Things are bleaker than it seems. The world needs more doctors, engineers, and lawyers. You may be tempted to see the green roll in, but life is not always greener.
Just ask role players like Brian Scalabrine or Kendrick Perkins—they’re more popular as memes than as the players they were.
NBA Players get romanticized way more than they should be – just look at Ishmail Wainwright
Ishmail Wainwright is definitely one of the top 400 basketball players currently; that is why he has a jersey with his name on it. But the league and the team think he is literally the 400th-best player—his paycheck reflects that. He is 28 years old, has only played two seasons in the league, and has never even earned more than $1 million in a year.
The person behind Denver’s mascot gets paid 625,000 dollars, and Ish gets $633k. Imagine telling your friends you are in the NBA, but they like a costumed man more.
All the insane numbers that you see at the top of the tree? That doesn’t translate to the bottom. The kids these days only get to see the creme de la creme, but conveniently choose to ignore the cold, hard truth. Players like Wainwright are more common than LeBron James, but not everyone who makes it can really MAKE it.
That can be seen in the disparity between the popularity and salary of a mascot and an actual NBA player. One can understand a WNBA player earning less, but an actual NBA player? It goes to show that if you cannot sell, you do not get paid.
Who would you rather be, Ishmail Wainwright or Rocky, the mountain lion?
