NBA Commissioner David Stern facing the heat over his reported salary: NBA Update
Politics of scratch my back and I will scratch your back is always awful and similar thing has happened during the National basketball Association lockout. When the league and owners pursued the players to accept a pay cut in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement things started getting ugly and eventually after the expiry of the old CBA, lockout was imposed.
Now it’s the turn of the players to raise objections over the salary of the NBA Commissioner David Stern, who according to some previous reports was earning more than the counterparts of the other sporting leagues. It is believed that Stern is taking home more than $20 million per annum in terms of salary.
With the outbreak of this news, a lot of indignation towards Stern was seen not just from the players, but also from the basketball fans throughout the world. Certainly, they all have the right to be angry, as earning this much of money in the time when most of the franchises in the league are bearing heavy losses (according to league’s report itself) is none less than a crime.
Especially when one is also demanding serious cuts in the salary and basketball related income from the players in order to cope up with the losses. If Stern is really getting this much of salary than he surely has the best deal than every NBA player, excluding just one Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant. According to his contract the All-Star guard will earn $25 million in the next season.
To nip the buzz anonymous league’s officials got into action straight away and made statements through press in which they said Stern doesn’t earn more than $10 million per year.
However, according to the two league officials, who don’t want to reveal their names, Stern is earning way low than National Football League's Roger Goodell, or Major League Baseball's Bud Selig, who earns around $18 million yearly. While Goodell gets $10 million including bonus and enticements.
Stern’s salary is set by the 11 owners, who are part of league’s finance committee. The names of these members are never disclosed as the league doesn’t reveal individuals’ wages.
These speculations regarding Stern’s salary will however keep creating buzz until David reveals the numbers publically, which seems pretty doubtful. Apart from all of this, Stern has declined to receive his pay cheque until the lockout ends. However, there is a probability that Stern might earn his lost salaries once the two sides reach an agreement.
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