The NBA is a gateway to riches unimaginable for many. If you are smart enough, you set a few generations up for life. Chris Paul is one such guy, but he should be revered as a god. Already called the “Point God” by some, every player should be at his feet thanking him.
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“Why?” You ask. Because when he was the head of the NBPA, Paul forced a rule change that would make even older people rich. In 2016, he made the NBA change their over-36 rule. For those unfamiliar with the rule, it states that a player cannot be offered a 4-year deal if they turn 36 at any point in the deal.
If that rule stayed, a lot of current players, including Chris Paul, would not have been able to sign massive deals. Can you imagine LeBron James making anything less than $40 million? Sounds odd, right? He owes his latest Lakers riches to his Banana Boat crewmate.
Chris Paul earned a cool 280 million Dollars as a result of this rule. In only two transactions!
Chris Paul is smart, not only on the court but also off it
Paul has been in the news for quite a lot of things. From his feud with Rajon Rondo to his inability to win a championship, he’s been there and done that. But he’s done one thing better than almost everyone else: he was made the NBPA’s head. And with that position, he managed to change the rule for himself.
To plan is one thing – to execute it to perfection is another. In the same year he sanctioned the change of the rule, Paul signed a 4-year $160 million deal with the Houston Rockets. He would have been stopped from signing that deal, provided he did not change the rule.
What has the rule changed to and how many players does it affect?
Chris Paul has always been looking out for the players; he governs all of them. So, to make his pockets deeper, he made sure everyone else got a bigger slice of the pie.
If the rule did not change to include anyone over 38, Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and James Harden would not have gotten their exorbitant price tags! Everyone who’s turned 34 can still sign a full extension until the age of 38. Even if they did not get the approval, their lives would still be the same.
The over 38-year rule will affect LeBron James’s legacy. It will be always remembered as the career that made him the most money – not the most trophies.
