When an NBA player is urged to take less than money, that naturally means his agent’s commission is less. Such has been the latest pattern emerging from social media, fan bases and with owners across the league.
And with the newly-agreed upon Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) from 2011 in place — which left players with only 50% share of the league’s income — sports agents are voicing their displeasure.
According to Kurt Helin of NBC ProBasketballTalk, “It was a complete and total rout by the owners two years ago at the negotiating table. The Christians had more success against the lions in the Colosseum.”
The valuation of NBA sports franchises continues to increase as well, with the record-breaking $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers being delayed by a trial to determine whether Sterling’s wife had the unilateral authority to negotiate a sale of the franchise. The Clippers’ elevated price tag has only compounded agents’ frustration with how their clients are being treated.
A few disgruntled NBPA Certified Contract Advisors and union members recently spoke to Sporting News NBA beat writer, Sean Deveney.
“Why is it that our best players should be getting less than they’re worth?” a union official told Sporting News. “We have a collective-bargaining agreement that already limits what star players can make, and limits the total amount teams can pay. We have a very tough luxury tax. And now you have teams publicly shaming their best players into a bigger cut?”
Furthermore, a sports agent told Sporting News, “It’s just ridiculous. There is this whole brainwashing thing going on and teams are selling it to their fans that this player or that player should take less, that they would not take their money if they truly cared about winning. That’s BS. If you want to win, you’re the owner, go over the tax line. This is the CBA you wanted, this is what the owners wanted. Why does the money come out of the players’ pockets? The players just gave back a huge amount in the CBA. But, no, that’s the brainwashing — that the players are the bad guys if they try to get what the CBA says they should get.”
Agents can anonymously bicker to journalists all they want but that won’t change public perception and opinion.