Then: Top 10 players salaries for 1985-86 1. Magic Johnson (LAL) $2,500,000 2. Moses Malone (Phi) $2,145,000 3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (LAL) $2,030,000 4. Larry Bird (Bos) $1,800,000 5. Jack Sikma (Sea) $1,600,000 6. Julius Erving (Phi) $1,485,000 7. Patrick Ewing (NY) $1,250,000 8. Ralph Sampson (Hou) $1,165,500 9. Mitch Kupchak (LAL) $1,150,000 10. Otis Birdsong (NJ) $1,100,000 And now: Top 10 players salaries for 2000-01 1. Kevin Garnett (Min) $19,610,000 2. Shaquille O'Neal (LAL) $19,285,715 3. Alonzo Mourning (Mia) $16,880,000 4. Juwan Howard (Was) $16,875,000 5. Hakeem Olajuwon (Hou) $16,700,000 6. Karl Malone (Uta) $15,750,000 7. David Robinson (SA) $14,700,000 8. Dikembe Mutombo (Atl) $14,400,000 9. Patrick Ewing (Sea) $14,000,000 10. Jayson Williams (NJ) $13,800,000 ------------------ "For there is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so." - William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Hamlet
To more starkly illustrate the contrast. <u>Top 10 players salaries for 2000-01 </u> 1. Kevin Garnett (Min) $19,610,000 2. Shaquille O'Neal (LAL) $19,285,715 3. Alonzo Mourning (Mia) $16,880,000 4. Juwan Howard (Was) $16,875,000 5. Hakeem Olajuwon (Hou) $16,700,000 The Combined Salaries of the top 10 in 1985-86 : $16,225,500 6. Karl Malone (Uta) $15,750,000 7. David Robinson (SA) $14,700,000 8. Dikembe Mutombo (Atl) $14,400,000 9. Patrick Ewing (Sea) $14,000,000 10. Jayson Williams (NJ) $13,800,000 ------------------ "I always thought it was something that went around my house" - World B. Free on Defence
Hey, don't forget to adjust for inflation! ------------------ "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak. Because someday you will have been all of these."
More mind numbing numbers: 1985-86 0 players will earn $3 million or more 3 players will earn $2 to 3 million 10 players will earn $1 to 2 million The league minimum was $70,000 Average: $370,104 [296 players] 2000-01 2 players will earn $19 to 20 million 0 players will earn $18 to 19 million 0 players will earn $17 to 18 million 3 players will earn $16 to 17 million 1 players will earn $15 to 16 million 3 players will earn $14 to 15 million 2 players will earn $13 to 14 million 4 players will earn $12 to 13 million 5 players will earn $11 to 12 million 15 players will earn $10 to 11 million 9 players will earn $9 to 10 million 11 players will earn $8 to 9 million 8 players will earn $7 to 8 million 8 players will earn $6 to 7 million 25 players will earn $5 to 6 million 23 players will earn $4 to 5 million 41 players will earn $3 to 4 million 92 players will earn $2 to 3 million 82 players will earn $1 to 2 million 130 players will earn less than $1 million The league minimum is $316,969 (rookies) to $1,000,000 (10+ years exp) Average: $3,241,895 [464 players (only considered players making at least $316,969)] ------------------ "For there is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so." - William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Hamlet
Oh yeah, the league is JUST fine! ------------------ "Win if you can, lose if you must but always cheat!" - Jesse Ventura
Eddie Griffin: 2011 .....signs 4 yr., 1 billion dollar deal!!! ...As ridiculous as that sounds.. ------------------ Rarely is the question asked: Guns kill squirrels than REDRUM to fools across the nation?
And your point? I notice we all spend ungodly amounts of hours talking about these people. I don't give a crap what they make. ------------------ Can't I just give you some of my sperm? It's really good!
At least the NBA put in a maximum player salary before they had a $200 million man, like A Rod. ------------------
Miami Heat Rick Brunson $16,000 There, feel better now Rocketman95? ------------------ "For there is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so." - William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Hamlet
My memory of the 80's is cloudy, wasn't Kupchak a scrub? j ------------------ Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!
Bad Example FINN, a chump like that doesn't deserve that much!!!!!!!! ------------------ "The things I enjoy most, I suck at: 1) Sex: everything's fine until she makes noises." - Achebe Smegs Mock Draft
Adjusting for inflation, Magic's $2.5 million salary in 1985 would be equivilent to almost $4.13 million in 2001 dollars. So even in real dollars, the salaries for NBA players has almost quintupled. ------------------
How much have TV revenues jumped in the span of 15 years? Luxury box revenue? I know they used to tape delay the NBA Finals. I'd say the vast majority of NBA franchises are raking money hand over fist - why not give the players a good cut? Now, salaries in the NHL and MLB, on the other hand, seem crazy to me in light of the financial situation those 2 leagues are in. ------------------ I'm so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month. I am so hip that I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.
mrpaige: in no way did I mean to imply that inflation accounted for the differences, but it is a factor that (somewhat) reduces the disproportion. Imagine if Magic Johnson were in this year's draft!!! ------------------ "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak. Because someday you will have been all of these." [This message has been edited by RichRocket (edited June 25, 2001).]
I don't care how much they make so much as what it does to teams ability to improve themselves as salaries go up. I know people want to brush this off, but we just had a lockout as recently as 2 years ago. How quickly we forget. ------------------ "Win if you can, lose if you must but always cheat!" - Jesse Ventura
That was going to be my question. Clearly the teams themselves have increased their income considerably, too. ------------------
RichRocket, Forget adjusting for inflation. The NBA standard raise is 12.5% simple interest, which would be a $315,000 raise per year for Magic, and I do believe restricts the Salary Cap from rising more than that each year as well. Thus, had the NBA used the current CBA back in Magic's day, the top salary would be roughly $7,100,000. So, fear not Bob*, they have it under control, unlike Hollywood.
