NBA Players Are Greedy How many of us would like to make $2.4 million a year? Or better yet, how about $126 million over a six-year period? Besides, why stop here? As John Donovan, a sports analyst for Sports Illustrated and CNN, points out, with the average salary of NBA players at $2.4 million per year and some players with contracts well in excess of $100 million, it's hard to understand what's going on many of them complain. From. NBA players need to stop being so greedy, accept a drug policy and realize that they are employed by the owners and should follow all rules and regulations set forth by the league. Even though the NBA is a multi-billion dollar industry, it doesn't mean owners have to pay out more than 50% of their revenues in the form of player salaries. Something must be done to stop the huge growth in player salaries that has taken place over the last two years. The NBA players union seems to believe they should have salaries as high as the market can bear. The NBA was founded by owners and others as a company. Therefore all players are employees of the owners and the League. The league and the owners are the ones who do all the advertising, make deals with TV stations, sign licensing deals and make it all happen. They are the ones who should reap the greatest financial rewards. In his "Held Ball" magazine article, Sports Illustrated writer Phil Taylor lets us know that with the signing of a new four-year, $2.6 billion contract with NBC and Turner Sports, the league appears to have plenty of money. But with figures of around a billion dollars paid in player salaries, there is not enough money to pay all the employees, ... mid-paper ... h the introduction of a rigid salary cap, limited freedom of action and a drug policy, the league would be more competitive and have a better image with the public. It's sad that some players in the league care more about how much money they make than the opportunity they have, created by the league and the owners, to play the great game of basketball. Works Cited Donovan, John. “A Lockdown Manual.” October 1998, online. World Wide Web. http://cnnsi.com/basketball/nba/1998/labor/news/1998/06/24/lockout_primer/ October 13, 1998Donovan, John. “NBA on shaky ground as owners, players fighting for money.” CNN/SI. June 24, 1998Jorgensen, Loren. "Bad day for the NBA." Deseret News October 14, 1998, noneRobinson, Doug. “In the NBA argument, who are the good guys?” Deseret News October 14, 1998, noneTaylor, Phil. “Ball held.” Sports Illustrated Oct 1998: 68-73.