If $50M worth Charles Barkley got paid today’s NBA salaries, he’d go to games in a spaceship like “Leroy Jetson”

When Charles Barkley speaks about the pay difference in the NBA compared to previous eras, it might come off as a joke but the Chuckster says that with a bleeding heart.

There is a massive change in how things work in NBA now as compared to how they used to in previous eras. Not just game-wise, but even payday-wise.

While the likes of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson didn’t earn more than $25 million in their NBA career. They were majorly responsible to take the game’s popularity to a height that it had never seen in the 80s.

Meanwhile, the superstars of the 90s, a 6x MVP and 6x champ Michael Jordan earned $90 million in 15 seasons and Hakeem Olajuwon a 2x MVP and 2x champ made just $100 million in 18 years.

Then there was the 1992 MVP Charles Barkley who earned a mere $40 million throughout his 16-year career. But that was the case among most stars in the NBA who played and retired before the turn of the century.

Now, we are in a time when players are making 40mil/year in abundance. And Chuck has been jealous of them for a long time now.

Also read: Shaquille O’Neal invested in $155 million NRG Esports after seeing 30,000 kids get involved in a League of Legends

Charles Barkley would arrive to work in a spaceship if he played in the current era

The Round Mound of Rebound is not at fault, though. The difference in earnings between his era and now is astronomical, and so our most entertaining analyst believes if he would have rather played in this era, he would come to the arena in a spaceship.

Hilarious! Yes, he mispronounced the world-famous Elroy as well. So, he would still be worth $50 million if he played today because he’ll literally spend it the way he is wishing he could. And that’s 8 years ago or so, imagine his feelings now.

Maybe he is also jealous because he sits beside a man 8x times his worth or because Jordan and Hakeem have earned 100s of millions from their off-the-court ventures while he hadn’t done much business-wise.

Also read: Larry Bird made a net worth of $75 million from a mere $24M career earnings because he didn’t need supercars or fancy cloths to “Build His Ego”

But still, his regret of being born a little too earlier is legit. Let’s put it in perspective how much a decently good NBA player earns now as compared to superstars of yesteryear.

In the 2022-23 season alone, CJ McCollum of the Pelicans will make over $33 million, while Jalen Brunson of the Knicks will make over $24 million. Yeah, more than what Bird and Johnson made throughout their careers.