NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was recently joined by Gayle King and Charles Barkley for an interview with
CNN . During the 16-minute conversation between the above-mentioned panel, several topics were discussed. Among the many, the players’ salary growth was one of the points examined in detail. When Barkley spoke about players potentially earning $80 million in a single year, Silver compared the athletes to the likes of
Beyonce and Taylor Swift. Charles Barkley kickstarted the conversation by recollecting how the public reacted in surprise after the first million-dollar contract was given out in the NBA. Mentioning that the average salary in the league has now risen to $10 million, Chuck was confident enough that there would come a time in the near future when players would pocket $80-90 million in a single year. Hence, Barkley felt the need to ask Adam Silver if there would be any type of “ceiling” or “breaking point” to the constantly growing value of the contracts. The commissioner answered Charles Barkley by shedding light on the revenue-sharing system that functioned between the league, the teams, and the players. He also broke down the same by explaining how the players would benefit if the team was benefitting and how the teams would benefit from the league being successful. Adam Silver also referred to the players as “entertainers” and revealed that the public wasn’t livid at artists such as Beyonce and
Taylor Swift earning as much. Silver concluded by reiterating that the players should be rewarded handsomely for helping the league contribute to the interest it garners from fans around the world. Yes, players salaries are exorbitant. However, the players are the biggest contributors to the league’s success, sometimes even having a bigger fan following than the franchises themselves. Hence, as long as the league is profiting from their impact, there is no reason why the players shouldn’t be compensated substantially. Shaquille O’Neal, the TNT co-host of Charles Barkley, spoke about the increasing salaries While Charles Barkley genuinely seemed to be inquisitive about the true potential growth in the
NBA salaries, Shaquille O’Neal comes off as jealous when talking about the same. Barkley’s TNT co-host has often expressed his dissatisfaction with the money that players make today. Despite earning a staggering $286 million during his career, per Spotrac , O’Neal admits being jealous of players earning significantly larger amounts. Rudy Gobert is one player in particular whose contract is often brought up by Shaq on numerous occasions. Back in 2022, during an episode of The Big Podcast, the NBA Hall-Of-Famer disclosed being annoyed at Gobert’s $200+ million contract. Merely a few months later, on the same podcast, O’Neal reiterated himself. While talking about Gobert making “$250 million” and Dame being paid $122 million for two years, the Big Aristotle jokingly stated that he would easily be able to earn a five-year, $400 million during his prime. Instead of being jealous, Shaq, who has a massive $500 million net worth as per Celebrity Net Worth , should be happy at the league’s progress. He can also be proud of the fact that he played a huge role in popularising the league in the late 1990s & 2000s and enabling players today to earn the money that they are able to.