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How much money do d league basketball players make
How much money do d league basketball players make
How much do the D League players get paid?
The D-League is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the primary development league for the NBA. Players get paid $25,000 per year and $35,000 if they go on to sign with an NBA team. Beside that, basketball players get paid by promoting NBA online betting, like Kevin Garnett, Joakim Noah, Shaquille O’Neal. There are some Asia bookmakers that paid huge money for a tweet or picture with their logo, like 188bet or THA. A lot of bookmakers prefer using a no ID verification casino to withdraw funds from bets quicker.
The highest paid g league player 2021 is a question that has been asked a lot. There are a few different answers to the question, but the most accurate answer is from Forbes.
The D-pay League’s structure is one of the league’s biggest challenges. For the six-month D-League season, players receive one of two wages: $19,500 or $26,000, while players in elite leagues overseas, including Americans, may make six- or even seven-figure earnings.![]()
After knowing how much a Basketball player earns. If you are curious that how much A PROFESSIONAL PAINTBALL PLAYER EARNS, then we can guide you in the right direction.
1. Delaware Blue Coats’ Marial Shayok. After a successful debut season in the G League, Shayok earned the top position. In 35 games, the 76ers two-way rookie averaged 23 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists.
Contents Table of Contents
Is it possible to try out for the G League?
Every year, the league conducts a National Tryout. Participants must complete an application and pay a $500 fee online. The event is only open to 200 people.
How much do basketball players in lesser leagues get paid?
NBA raises minor-league wages to $35,000 – NBC Sports | ProBasketballTalk
What is a basketball player’s lowest salary?
Years of Professional Experience ———––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 1 $1,445,697 2 $1,620,564 3 $1,678,854 0 $898,310 1 $1,445,697 2 $1,620,564 3 $1,678,854
Who will be the top player in the NBA in 2020?
– 01 The NBA’s top 20 players right now.
1 out of 21. … — Pelicans’ Zion Williamson, 02 20. … – Bucks, Khris Middleton, 03 19. Ben Simmons, 76ers – 04 18. – Bradley Beal, Wizards, 05 17. Rudy Gobert, Jazz – 06 16. … — Clippers, Paul George, 07 15. Russell Westbrook, Rockets – 08 14.
How much do players in the G League earn?
Green and Todd will earn considerably more than the average G League wage of $35,000 per year.
Basketball players earn how much money each game?
In 2017-18, the median pay for the sample of 540 players was $2,516,744, with Steph Curry earning the most at $34,682,550. Curry also topped the league in 3-point field goal percentage, averaging 4.2 per game.
Which player has the highest PPG?
Rank Player PPG —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– — 2. Wilt Chamberlain* 30.07 1. Michael Jordan* 30.12 4. LeBron James 27.05 3. Elgin Baylor* 27.36
What is the pay scale for summer league players?
During the 12-day league, players earn a total of $1,500 in per diem. When the teams arrive in Sin City, they may divide the money in one lump sum.
Some people choose to give money on a daily basis of $125 or bi-daily basis of $250.
What is the NBA’s lowest salary?
Years of Professional Experience ———––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 1 $1,445,697 2 $1,620,564 3 $1,678,854 0 $898,310 1 $1,445,697 2 $1,620,564 3 $1,678,854
What does a G League player earn?
In October 2018, the NBA announced that starting in the 2019-20 season, chosen players would be eligible to earn $125,000 for a year in the G League before entering the NBA Draft.
Is it possible for high school basketball players to enter the G League right away?
While Article X of the NBA-NBA Players’ Association collective bargaining agreement stipulates that draft eligible U.S. players must be 19 years old plus one year out of high school, the G League accepts players straight out of high school. The best budget basketball shoes are the ones that will let you take your game to another level. A good quality pair of inexpensive sneakers can really help out when it comes talking points on court, and they’re also perfect if all else fails because there’s no need for fancy equipment in summer league!
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Is it true that summer league basketball players get compensated?
While they are supplied with a roundtrip ticket, the flight timings are often less than optimal since they are selected by the team, and many have their departures scheduled for the night of the final game. Aside from the airline ticket, accommodation, and meals, players are not compensated in any way for their time.
Are NBA players paid per game?
During the season, NBA players are usually paid biweekly, although they have the option to negotiate a different payment plan on an individual basis. … According to the LA Times, the highest amount a player’s pay may be paid out in a single sum is 80 percent.
Is it possible for high school basketball players to enter the NBA right away?
The program isn’t only a stepping stone to the NBA for chosen players; it may also be a step in the right direction for high school players who want to go straight to the league. … “For a long, long period in the history of the NBA and college basketball, you didn’t have to go to college.
You might enter the NBA right now.
Is it possible for you to try out for the G League?
Open tryouts are held by certain G League clubs, when participants pay a fee to have an opportunity to impress team staff. … The majority of the rosters are made up of two-way players, affiliate players, returners, and trade acquisitions. Team trials were responsible for 37 G League roster slots.
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References
The nba d-league salary is the amount of money that players get paid for playing in the D League, which is the NBA’s official minor league.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do G League players get paid?
The G League pays players a salary of $26,000 per year.
Who is the highest paid G league player?
The highest paid G league player is the Houston Rockets Isaiah Hartenstein.
How many D league players make it to the NBA?
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How much do the D League players get paid?
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Part of the challenge for the D-League is its comparatively low salary structure.
D-League players earn one of two salaries—$19,500 or $26,000—for the six-month D-League season, whereas players, including Americans, who play in top leagues abroad can earn six- or even seven-figure salaries.
1. Marial Shayok, Delaware Blue Coats. Shayok took home the top spot after a remarkable rookie campaign in the G League. The 76ers two-way rookie averaged 23 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 35 games played.
Table of Contents
Can anyone tryout for the G League?
The league holds a National Tryout once each year. Participants must fill out an application and make a $500 online payment. The event is limited to 200 players.
How much do minor league basketball players get paid?
NBA increases minor-league salaries to $35,000 – ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports.
What is the lowest salary of a basketball player?
Years of Experience Salary
——————- ———-
0 $898,310
1 $1,445,697
2 $1,620,564
3 $1,678,854
Who is the best player in 2020 NBA?
– 01 The top 20 players in the NBA right now.
1 / 21. …
– 02 20. Zion Williamson, Pelicans. …
– 03 19. Khris Middleton, Bucks. …
– 04 18. Ben Simmons, 76ers. …
– 05 17. Bradley Beal, Wizards. …
– 06 16. Rudy Gobert, Jazz. …
– 07 15. Paul George, Clippers. …
– 08 14. Russell Westbrook, Rockets.
How much players make in the G League?
The average G League salary is $35,000 and Green and Todd will make significantly more than that.
How much money do basketball players make per game?
The median salary for the sample of 540 players in 2017-18 was $2,516,744 with Steph Curry receiving the highest salary at $34,682,550. Curry also led in 3-point field goals made with an average of 4.2 per game.
Who has the highest PPG?
Rank Player PPG
—- —————– —–
1. Michael Jordan* 30.12
2. Wilt Chamberlain* 30.07
3. Elgin Baylor* 27.36
4. LeBron James 27.05
How much do summer league players get paid?
Players receive a total of $1,500 in per diem during the 12-day league.
Teams can distribute that cash in one complete payment upon arriving in Sin City. Some choose to provide the funds on a daily $125 or bi-daily $250 basis.
What is the lowest salary in the NBA?
Years of Experience Salary
——————- ———-
0 $898,310
1 $1,445,697
2 $1,620,564
3 $1,678,854
How much do G League players get paid?
The NBA announced in October 2018 that beginning in the 2019-20 season select players would be able to earn $125,000 to play in the G League for a year before entering the NBA Draft.
Can high school basketball players go straight to the G League?
While Article X of the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the NBA Players’ Association requires that draft eligible U.S. players be 19 years old plus one year removed from high school, the G League welcomes players right out of high school.
Do summer league basketball players get paid?
While they are provided a roundtrip flight, the flight times are often less than ideal since they are chosen by the team, and many have their departures planned for the night of the final game.
Players are also not paid at all for their time, outside of the plane ticket, hotel, and food.
Do NBA players get paid per game?
NBA players typically get paid bi-weekly during the season, but they have the right to negotiate a different payment schedule on an individual basis. … 80% is is the maximum amount a player’s salary can be paid out in a lump sum, according to the LA Times.
Can high school basketball players go straight to the NBA?
The program is not just a bridge to the NBA for select players; it can be a step toward the NBA permitting high school players to make the jump directly to the NBA. … “All through the history of the NBA and college basketball, for a long, long time, you did not have to go to college. You could go straight to the NBA.
Can you tryout for the G League?
Some G League organizations have open tryouts, which players pay a fee to get a chance to make an impression in front of team personnel. … Most of the rosters are filled with two-way players, affiliate players, and returners & players acquired via trade.
37 G League roster spots were from team tryouts.
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References
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How much players in different leagues receive. Europrobasket study
The Europrobasket academy has released a comprehensive study on how much money foreigners earn in the top European championships. "Interception" carefully translated everything.
Important:
1) the amounts are in dollars, not in euros, as usual;
2) believe it or not, it's up to you, but the authors of the work say that in the process of preparation they talked with many agents, coaches and team members.
Average salary in Europe:
Spain. The strongest teams play in the ACB League, many Spanish clubs play in European competitions. Accordingly, there are the best salaries, and the budgets of Real Madrid and Barcelona exceed $40 million.
On average, players in Spain make from 250 to 500 thousand per season, but there are exceptions: for example, Nikola Mirotic with his $ 4 million a year or Sergio Yull, Walter Tavares, Corey Higgins - they all earn about $ 2 million.
Turkey. Two teams from the Turkish championship play in the Euroleague, several more clubs in the Eurocup and the Champions League. The country has some of the highest salaries and almost half of the clubs have budgets in excess of $10 million. Leaders can get big money, for example: Shane Larkin - $ 3.7 million, Nando de Colo - 2.4 million, Jan Vesely - 2.2 million. At the same time, on average, foreigners earn 250-500 thousand in the league.
Russia. Some of the highest paid players in Europe play here. For example, Alexei Shved ($4 million last season, this amount may differ), Mike James and Nikola Milutinov (2.5 million each). But the average salary in the United League is about 200-450 thousand dollars per year.
Italy. Few people expected this country to be so high in the ranking, but elite basketball players also play in the Italian championship.
For example, Milan defender Sergio Rodriguez, who receives about $ 2 million, is the highest paid player this season. On average, the salaries of foreigners in Serie A range from 180 to 350 thousand dollars.
Germany. The German economy is the fourth largest in the world, so it's not surprising to see the Bundesliga in this ranking. Four championship teams at once have more than $10 million for the season, and the budget of one of them, Bayern, is as much as $25 million. 1 million
Greece. The economic crisis has played a role in the amounts that foreigners earn in this country. But the Greek league is played by top basketball players, and three teams have budgets over $10 million (including Olympiakos, which plays in the second division). The average salary here is from 150 to 250 thousand, although Nick Calathes received 2.25 million in Pao last season, and Kostas Sloukas is now in Olya - 1.8 million.
Israel. Teams from here do not shine in Europe, and the money here is much lower.
The exception is Maccabi, whose budget is $26.5 million, and point guard Scotty Wilbekin earns $1.7 million. But this is not the norm, but the norm - from 80 to 250 thousand dollars.
France. Only two teams from here have a budget of more than $10 million, but this is one of the most reliable countries in terms of payments - contracts are guaranteed by the French government. Interestingly, only 30% of clubs' budgets go towards paying players, while in the rest of Europe these expenses account for more than half of club budgets. On average, foreigners here earn from 80 to 200 thousand dollars a season. Two years ago, the highest paid ASVEL player was AJ Slaughter with a salary of 300 thousand.
Average salaries in Asia:
China. The CBA is considered one of the richest leagues in the world, and most importantly, it is watched by more than 500 million people. This means that you can just come, play and build a business.
Stephon Marbury did just that: he earned $12 million in six years with the Beijing Ducks and became such a star that a statue of him was erected in front of the former team's arena.
He went into coaching before starting his own company and selling basketball shoes to kids who can't afford branded shoes. Bliss? Bliss. Legend and forever secured.
The average salary of a foreigner in the Chinese championship is from 1 to 3 million dollars. That is, 4-6 times higher than in the most wasteful country in Europe - Spain. Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, Steve Francis, Ron Artest received so much in China. But there are exceptions, for example, Lance Stevenson, who is paid 4 million by the Liaoning Flying Leopards. .
The difficulty is that teams are allowed to have only two foreign players. But there are 19 clubs in the CBA, so they're really spending a lot.
South Korea. The rules of the local championship provide for a limit on foreign players - there can be no more than two of them in each team. If there are two foreigners in the club, then the ceiling of their total salary is set at the level of 700 thousand dollars, and if there is one, then by 500 thousand.
On average, a legionnaire in KBL receives 250-400 thousand dollars, which puts the Korean championship on the same level with Spain, Turkey and Russia in this indicator.
But this is official information. A whole scattering of Europrobasket sources indicates that, together with bonuses, salaries here can reach up to 800 thousand dollars, which means that only China pays more.
However, remember that if you want to play in Korea, then get ready for 3-4 practices a day.
Japan. In 2016, two leagues were united here, and now the championship is flourishing. First of all, this concerns salaries: the local players in the season before last received an average of 147 thousand dollars, the players of the Japanese national team - about 417 thousand. Today, the highest paid Japanese - Yuki Togashi - earns $ 1 million.
Legionnaires in Japan receive an average of 120 to 300 thousand dollars. Life in this country is expensive, but teams tend to take care of all the expenses of their basketball players.
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How the NBA started making billions of dollars with David Stern
On January 1, David Stern, the former National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner, passed away. He led the NBA for 30 years in a row - from 1984 to 2014.
His marketing talent and business sense helped pull the association almost out of oblivion, and make basketball players the same world stars as football players and millionaires.
Before Stern's appointment as Commissioner, it seemed very real that the NBA would disappear. This basketball association looked very faded against the backdrop of the leagues of American football and baseball. And when Stern retired in 2014, the NBA had annual revenues of $5.5 billion, its broadcast revenues had grown 40 times over $1 billion in 30 years. The NBA had offices in 15 cities outside the United States. Her games have been broadcast in over 200 countries in over 40 languages.
Compare for yourself: how much do you know about American football or baseball, but how much about American basketball?
The attractiveness of the business for investors has also grown. Shortly after Stern's arrival, the Chicago Bulls were sold for $16 million. And after 30 years of his work, the Los Angeles Clippers changed hands for $2 billion. Salaries also increased. The famous basketball player Charles Barkley recalled that in 1984 the average salary of players was $250,000. Now it is almost $9 million. He broke the record of the head of the National Football League, Pete Rozelle, for a year (1960–1989).
From deli to basketball
David Joel Stern was born on September 22, 1942 in Manhattan (New York, USA). His father ran the family's deli, Stern's Deli, where all three of his children worked from childhood. Stern chose a profession far from both trade and sports. First he received a degree in history from the prestigious Rutgers University (New Jersey).
Then - a law degree from Columbia University. In 1966 he joined the law firm Proskauer, Rose, Goetz & Mendelsohn.
David's parents divorced when he was young. Like his father, he became a fan of the New York Knicks basketball team and often went to games with his dad.
Stern himself played for a while, and played well. His height was not basketball - about 176 cm (although, according to the sports website ESPN, he still turned out to be taller than the leaders of other US national sports leagues). “I played for my law firm's team in the New York Lawyers Basketball League. And it cost me most of the cartilage in my right knee,” Stern joked in an interview with The New York Times (NYT).
It's better to be a basketball player than a football player
In the 2019/20 season, Steph Curry, defenseman for the Golden State Warriors, should receive the largest reward among NBA players - $ 40.2 million (the reward is calculated from the forecast of income from basketball activities and is subject to adjustment at the end of the season), writes the author of the blog in Sports.
ru. But even, for example, the 51st number in the NBA rating Malcolm Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers (Indianapolis) should receive $ 20 million. That is, he earns more than such football stars as the striker of the English Manchester City and Argentina national team Sergio or the goalkeeper and captain of the German Bayern München and the German national team Manuel Neuer. Brogdon's name doesn't mean much to the average person, and he's not the only one in the NBA: according to the rules of the NBA, based on its projected income, 51 players should receive at least $20 million this season.
His work as a lawyer also turned out to be related to sports. Proskauer, Rose, Goetz & Mendelsohn represented the NBA. Stern has been involved in several high-profile cases, including a 1970 antitrust lawsuit in which NBA player union president Oscar Robertson interfered with the NBA's merger with rival American Basketball Association (ABA). As a result, the merger had to be postponed for six years - the case in court dragged on until 1976.
It had other important consequences. For example, before the players were actually serfs of the club: they did not have the right to negotiate a transfer to another team, at the same time they could be fired at any time.
How Stern increased the competition
In 1978, Stern was lured to the NBA, where he became general counsel. Then the post of vice president was created for him. In addition to resolving legal issues, he was responsible for marketing, PR, negotiations with television companies and much more.
The NBA star was waning in those years. In the 1980/81 season, out of 23 teams, 16 were unprofitable. The finals of the games were often not live, but recorded, and at an unpopular time - at 23.30. At 1980 a drug scandal erupted. An article in The Los Angeles Times claimed that 40 to 75% of gamblers use cocaine. The press then wrote about the NBA as an association overflowing with black players and drug addicts, Stern recalled in a conversation with ESPN.
As vice president, he entered into negotiations with NBA member clubs to introduce anti-drug tests before games. The NBA was the first sports league in North America to implement this innovation.
In 1984, Stern took over the NBA. Other candidates were not even considered. He was number two in the NBA for several years, and his appointment seemed like a no-brainer. One of his first steps was to help small clubs. Restrictions were introduced on the size of the players' pay fund, which was tied to income from basketball activities (BRI, basketball-related income), and, accordingly, it is different every year. The first time it was $3.8 million per team (in the 2018/19 season- $ 109.14 million, according to the Sports.ru blog dedicated to salaries in the NBA). This somewhat equalized rich and poor clubs—the rich could no longer buy up all the stars who needed to be paid a lot—and led to a new round of rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, which seemed to have faded back in 1969.
Now the system of remuneration of players is arranged according to the principle of soft and hard ceiling, therefore it is permissible to exceed the originally announced limit. But there is an amount starting from which the NBA will have to pay the so-called "luxury tax" - in the 2018/19 seasonthe tax threshold was set at $132.627 million. And, finally, there is a hard ceiling that cannot be broken under any pretext: in the season just ended it is $138.928 million. club owners to find a compromise regarding remuneration: basketball players received the right to 53% of the income.
People, not teams
Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver says Stern was among the founders of modern sports marketing - "one of the people who took modern marketing techniques and applied them to the sports league."
He founded the licensing and sponsorship division of the NBA. Together with its director, he compiled a “dream list” of NBA partners (McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, etc.![]()
) and went on a trip around the country to persuade them to cooperate.
While still a vice president, Stern helped launch NBA Entertainment's basketball-related content division. And becoming a commissioner, he expanded the staff, agreed with video game manufacturers, and in the end, with his participation, a hit appeared - a series of sports simulators NBA Jam (the first came out at 1993).
He decided to promote star players rather than entire teams. If in the 1960s the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers was a battle of clubs, then under Stern it became the confrontation between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Stern's other star was Michael Jordan, who joined the Chicago Bulls in 1994.
In his first year as commissioner, Stern sold the rights to broadcast NBA games to an Argentinean TV channel for a ridiculous $2,000 a year. Every Sunday in a country where children dreamed of football, they showed that the ball can be dribbled with their hands.
And it has borne fruit. When Argentinean Emanuel Ginobili was a child, he looked at Michael Jordan and thought he was from another planet. Since then, Ginobili has won the NBA championship four times with the San Antonio Spurs, although there had not been a single one of his compatriots in the league before.
Women, Greeks and Canadians
David Stern added seven new teams to the NBA for a total of 30. The NBA Women's League was born in 1997 and the NBA minor league for the G League farm clubs in 2001. According to Stern, we need to work with young talents so that there are as many boys and girls as possible who “will start to dribble the ball with their hands instead of kicking it.”
The NBA was a purely American league. And now the title of its most valuable player is Giannis Antetokounmpo, a Greek born to Nigerian immigrants, and the NBA champion is the Canadian team Toronto Raptors with players from three continents.
In 1989, Stern waited four hours in Beijing to meet Chinese CCTV representatives, then persuaded them to broadcast the games for free.
Now 18 million people watch the NBA games in China, and last year the Chinese Tencent and the NBA announced a five-year contract for $1.5 billion.
NBA - and defeated all rivals. That team was named the dream team, and upon their return they were honored, as Stern told the NYT, as if it were the Bolshoi Theater, the Philharmonic and The Beatles put together. “The dream team ignited interest in basketball around the world,” Stern recalled ESPN last year. – Before the Olympics-92 NBA games were shown in about 80 countries, today - in 215.
The following fact testifies to Stern's attitude towards the players. In 1991, Magic Johnson announced that he had HIV and was retiring from playing. The disease in those days caused irrational fear and disgust in society. Some did not want to play on the same site with Johnson, for fear of getting infected through scratches. But Stern launched a whole campaign of tolerant attitude towards HIV patients - doctors came to the players and talked about the disease.
He insisted that Johnson not be crossed off the voting lists for the most outstanding player of the season - and he earned the award. The photo of Stern presenting the prize to Johnson was posted by the NBA commissioner in a prominent place in his office. He also pushed for Johnson to be included in the Olympic Dream Team.
Stern soft and hard
Stern liked to call himself Easy Dave, which can be translated as "easy Dave" and "easily inferior Dave." But among those around him, he earned a reputation as a tyrant. In 2005, Stern became concerned about the image of the players and introduced a dress code. At official NBA events, they were ordered to stick to business attire, abandoning shorts, wide pants, massive chains, bandanas and other attributes of gangsters and hip-hop fans.
This sparked strong protests from players, fans and even African American rights activists. The dress code was clearly infringing on the style that black players were used to. However, it brought a positive effect, Sports.
ru noted: basketball players thought about their appearance, hired stylists, and developed their own clothing style. And, as a result, articles about their life outside the basketball court began to appear more often in the media.
Dress code - yes, it has entered the life of the players. But in another important issue, Stern did not succeed in insisting on his own. In the 2006/07 season, he introduced synthetic turf balls into the game, despite the dissatisfaction of the players: after test drives, they complained that the ball bounced off the floor differently. Already in December 2006, it was necessary to announce that the NBA was returning to the good old leather balls.
Stern was not soft on the guilty. Latrell Sprewell was suspended for the entire season-19 for assaulting a coach during training.97/98 - 82 games. In court, Sprewell's lawyer managed to reduce this period to 68 games, for which the NBA legal counsel received a severe scolding from Stern.
In 2004, during a match, the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers teams fought - first with each other, and then with the audience.
Nine players were suspended for a total of over 100 matches without pay, which resulted in a loss of about $11 million. “We couldn't let the barrier between players and fans break down. This would deprive us of the most accessible game in the world, where you could literally sit on the edge of the court and almost touch the players running past, ”Stern explained. But at the same time, he visited the family of Indiana Pacers player Ron Artest, who was suspended for as many as 86 games at his insistence, and helped his sick relatives get the necessary medical care.
He also interfered in the affairs of teams. In 2011, he banned New Orleans from trading players. For many years, Stern explained this decision briefly in all interviews: “It was in the interests of basketball.” And only two years ago, already retired, he condescended to details: “I offered the best option <...> But [Dell, who was in charge at that time of New Orleans] Demps, turned out to be a lousy general manager” (quoted from Championat.
com). What is a lockout? . The first lockout began in the summer of 1995 and stretched out for two months, but ended before the start of the season. Only the summer fees suffered. The second lockout lasted only three hours in 1996. The third lasted from July 1998 to January 1999, due to which the start of the season had to be postponed and the number of games in it was reduced from 82 to 50. The last one was from July to December 2011 ., due to which the season was reduced to 66 games.
Player income was the key issue. For example, during the 1996 three-hour lockout, basketball players demanded more TV revenue, and the NBA agreed to increase payouts by a compromise amount.
Stern represented club owners during the lockouts who wanted to save money on players, but played more of an intermediary role. Reviews about him were mixed. Stern threatened the players. “I know where the bodies are buried in the NBA — I personally buried some there,” he said, appearing in the locker room of the basketball players during Star Weekend.
True, the cases of his revenge were unknown to anyone, ESPN assures: he was an explosive person, but quick-witted.
"You can't be too nice a guy"
In 1986, just two years after his appointment as commissioner, David Stern interviewed former basketball player Rod Thorne for the position of vice president in charge of discipline. "They say you're a nice guy," Stern said thoughtfully. “Well, at our job, you can’t be too nice a guy.” “There was nothing soft about him,” recalled Thorn, who was hired and served as vice president of the NBA for 14 years. He expected you to do your job. And if not, he will not hesitate to tell you about it. From time to time I listened to similar things, sometimes in very harsh terms. But most of the time [Stern] was right." Stern loved to arrange mini-exams: ask subordinates questions, the answers to which he knew, and if they found it difficult to answer, he gave them a dressing down.
One of the top managers of the NBA admitted that many times he left his job with the thought of being fired.
But at 10 p.m., Stern called, talking about new goals and how great it would be when they were achieved: “And I was ready to go through walls for Stern.”
The permanent commissar was forgiven a lot for his ability to ignite people, and for his ability to foresee the future of sports, and for the fact that he gushed with ideas. For example, in the 1990s a subordinate gave him the idea of holding a press conference about a new deal with Coca-Cola, showing clips on video screens. Stern immediately ordered to figure out how to organize an event in a cinema: on a huge screen, the commercials would look unbelievably better. “You walk into his office thinking you've thought of everything,” the subordinate concluded. “And he says something that didn’t occur to you - and, damn it, he’s right!”
Sociologist Harry Edwards, who studies the characteristics of African American athletes, assured that Stern's reputation among the players only strengthened as a result of negotiations.
But HBO sportswriter Bryant Gumbel called him egocentric and compared his negotiating tactics to the diplomacy of a plantation overseer. Stern himself, many years later, having already retired from the NBA commissioners, publicly responded to Gumbel: he called him an “idiot” in an interview with The Washington Post - another touch to his harsh character.
Season 19 lockout98/99 ended with the victory of the owners of the clubs, who set the maximum salary cap they needed for players, mainly due to Stern's actions, wrote the NYT. He sowed distrust between the players and agents, so that the athletes no longer knew who to listen to.
During the 2011 lockout, club owners were able to increase their share from 43% to 50% of revenues.
But even Stern's opponents recognized his merits. “Stern realized that the game is about the players, and raised their market appeal to such heights as never before,” said lawyer Jeff Kessler, who represented the union in numerous battles with Stern.
“He was a worthy adversary and sometimes a pain in the ass, but I loved him despite all the difficulties.”
Commissioner farewell
As NBA commissioner, Stern made about $9 million a year, according to ESPN. In February 2014, he retired and could have lived an idle and comfortable life. But he is a natural workaholic. He actively advised his successor, taking the post of honorary commissioner of the NBA. He has served as an advisor to investment bank PJT Partners, venture capital firm Greycroft Partners, consulting business PricewaterhouseCoopers, and a number of other smaller firms.
Last November, Thorne, a former NBA vice president, and his wife dined with Stern and his wife. He was in good health and in excellent spirits. But on December 12, Stern suffered a stroke and emergency surgery, which, unfortunately, could not save his life. On January 1, he died at the age of 78. Shortly before his death, he was asked what he would have done differently in the NBA if he had had a chance to work those 30 years as commissioner again.
