The disparity is stark between the paychecks of the NBA stars of today and their counterparts in the 80s and the 90s. The league’s growth in viewership has ushered in new TV deals and other endorsements, which has drastically increased the salaries of players. This sharp rise in salaries can frustrate some legends of the game from the previous eras, who played under much more humble conditions.
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In fact, some of these legends are even willing to trade their championship rings for a hefty paycheck in a heartbeat. At least, that’s what Tim Hardaway Sr. revealed.
The Golden State Warriors legend touched on this issue during a sit-down on the All The Smoke podcast. Hardaway detailed the mindset of the Hall of Famers and the level of frustration that these legends experience seeing the contracts of modern players.
Hardaway revealed,
“I talked to a lot of former players from when I was playing. They be like, ‘I would give up my rings to make the money’. That’s when we was making the money we was making.”
“So, when I hear them talking, it frustrates them,” he added.
The conversation started when Matt Barnes pointed out that the 58-year-old’s son has already surpassed him in career earnings. Hardaway admitted that it wasn’t even close. He pointed out how players were even envious of his salary when he was playing.
So it’s a never-ending cycle as the league grows further.
Hardaway, however, said those legends shouldn’t be frustrated with how the NBA was back then. He credited former NBA Commissioner David Stern for turning the league around, resulting in the amount of money coming in today.
“But they gotta understand. That era was that era. And what David Stern did was turn everything around and make it globally. And when everything went global, everything is everything now. And social media.”
One very vital aspect Hardaway pointed out was the role that social media and the internet have played as well. The widespread access to the internet has made it possible for millions, if not billions around the world, to not just follow the league but also follow the personal lives of their favorite NBA superstars.
And that type of thing simply wasn’t possible back then.
Charles Barkley has also addressed this issue.
Barkley’s take on the younger generation
Current NBA players who might just be benchwarmers are making more money than Bill Russell or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ever did during their entire careers. And naturally, this does rub some legends the wrong way.
And it only adds insult to injury seeing the lack of respect the younger generation has for the Hall of Famers before them. Former Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley touched upon this as well.
“I tell these young guys in the NBA ‘I don’t care how much money you make. God bless you. But the number 1 thing is always gotta be the game’. I always tell people ‘Guys, you ain’t better than Dr J, you ain’t better than Moses, you ain’t better than Bill Russell.’”
Barkley emphasized the value of the time the current players were born in. But what frustrates him more is the lack of respect for the oldheads and the sheer absence of appreciation for the things they had growing up as opposed to some of the legends before them.
