“We just want the money”, this is the declaration of Rui Hachimura released with a very candid and innocent smile and with an unexpected frankness to the question posed in the press conference by Dan Voike of the LA Times on the motivations that guide the players in the Emirates Cup.
Rui Hachimura on the NBA Cup: “We just want the money.” 🤣 #Lakeshow pic.twitter.com/08IHRNQze4
— LoJo Media (@LoJoMedia) November 14, 2024
The Lakers’ Japanese winger, already a winner last season in the first edition of the NBA Regular Season tournament, does not hide behind circumstantial phrases or philosophical motivations, as his coach JJ Redick tried to do, calling for research of internal stimulation, but appreciated the fact that the coaches also receive a cash prize.
The statement, while referring to well-paid professional athletes, is not overly self-serving and deserves further analysis. We are used to hearing and reading figures that exceed tens of millions of dollars in annual remuneration (excluding sponsors) but in reality, out of more than 500 NBA contracts, the monstrous figures are the prerogative only of the top 50 players in the league.
NBA Salaries
The average annual salary of a player NBA is 11,185,263 (yes, eleven million dollars is not the average salary of your neighbor, and if it is I want to know you and your neighbor, but as the previous disclaimer reported, we are talking about professional athletes) which corresponds approximately to the 148th contract by value of the league , belonging to Evan Mobley before the extension that will take effect next season. The next 400 are all lower, if so for a LeBron the premium corresponds to 1% of the annual salary, for his partner Jaxson Hayes it is 20%, while for Koloko it is even 100%, so it is obvious that the demonstration is truly heartfelt.
Different appeal for NBA Cup games?
From what we saw last year and in the first week of the Cup this season definitely yes. Silver seems to have boxed up a toy ready to attract the public and sponsors and to make the franchises concentrate more in a period of the year where they are usually still in the study, testing and injury prevention phases (which unfortunately this year does not seem to be successful)
Teams that are struggling in regular like the Hawks are 2-0 or i Pistons who this year started in a more convincing way than previous seasons, can find in the Emirates Cup a way to give meaning to the season and have first-rate visibility. After that, as stated by Kris Middleton during last season’s tournament: “Even the richest guy in the world would be happy to have $500,000”
The appeal for most players actually wanes quickly as the mechanic (we told you about it here) allows for few missteps and with just two wrong matches you risk being cut off from the rest of the competition; So let’s enjoy these more heartfelt regular matches and try to understand if over the years, this initiative will also gain value in the field or tradition and not just economical.
