Kenny Smith's critique on player earnings in the modern NBA: "I see players today who have holes in their game but make $20 million"
Retired guard Kenny Smith knows what it takes to win. This means players had to really prove their worth on the court to earn a salary that matched their skills.
Looking back on his playing days, Smith admits that he and his peers had to work hard to justify their high pay. He believes this difference in mindset is a contributing factor to why modern players earn such hefty salaries, as he discussed in "The Mark Jackson Show."
“There is a generation of people who have no clue of their success and why they have it. No clue. It’s always just a supply and demand. [Just] because you make 5 million, 10 million, 15 million, it doesn’t mean you are worth that. But how did that demand get created?” the former Houston Rockets guard pointed out.
Smith drops bomb on million-dollar players
Current NBA stars such as Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers are unsurprisingly the top earners in the league, earning at least $47 million per ESPN.
Considering the number of top stars the league has right now, the list goes on and on. However, Smith believes that while current players are earning big, not all of them deserve the huge salaries they are making.
“I see players today who have holes in their game. Millions of… like my millions. A lot of holes in their game, but they make $20 million,” the former North Carolina Tar Heel rued.
NBA is also to blame
Without mentioning any names, Smith pointed out how changes to the game have given specialists the right to demand high salaries. It appears he was referring to spot-up shooters, players whose main duty is to knock down shots from afar.
He went on to explain how the removal of the hand-check rule made it even easier for players. Most have better court vision, giving them the option of passing or shooting the ball more easily.
As a result, current players feel that they have it made even if The Jet sees a lot of holes in their game. Tired of hearing the rants of these individuals, he ended the topic with a hilarious comparison.
“I hate when they go… ‘Oh, this generation of basketball players are very good individually and very good talent.’ But also, the Globe Trotters were,” the 1988 NBA Rookie First Team member said.
Certainly, there are players in today's NBA who truly deserve their hefty paychecks because of their remarkable talent. However, it's disheartening that some of them feel they've already reached the pinnacle of success, which might dampen their motivation to keep striving for improvement.
