‘Give the old players a million dollars’: Charles Barkley explains why he isn’t on NBA 2K21 and other 2k versions

Charles Barkley is one of the 25-30 greatest players in basketball history, but he is yet to appear on the NBA 2k franchise as an all-time player by personal choice.

Given his tremendous popularity for appearing on Inside the NBA and his general association with the league, fans have clamoured for him to be included on the 2K game franchise.

Chuck has held resolute, however, sticking with the belief that the 2K franchise should pay older players their due for using their likenesses.

Charles Barkley explains why he hasn’t licensed his likeness for NBA 2K games

According to Barkley, he’s approached by the 2K franchise every year in a fresh bid to acquire the rights for his likeness, and he refuses them every time.

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He uses the same approach to decline their offer every time – he asks that the older NBA players who earned less in salaries be paid more money by the franchise before he sells his image rights.

The average player salary in the NBA during the early 1960s was a few hundred dollars per game. It rose to the thousands by the end of the decade.

With the competition given by the ABA, the NBA had to up its player salaries to keep it lucrative for high level players. The great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar commanded a $650,000 salary in the 78-79 season before Magic was drafted.

Wilt Chamberlain was the only great to be paid on a level somewhat consistent with his dominance with respect to the sports economics of his era.

Barkley’s stand on this issue is a wonderful one and needs to be replicated by more retired players so that there is a real change in the policies of the 2K franchise.