The N.B.A. Has No Direct Cash Incentive for Winning Division Finals or Championship

Without a significant direct cash incentive for winning a conference finals or championship finals, players may elect to sit out those games with an injured pinkie finger. Michael Jordan averaged just 6 million a year in his 15 seasons and Lebron James 23 million a year over his 23 seasons. When the western conference finals victory rakes in the princely sum of $980,000 to split among the team, it is no wonder that players are really concerned with winning their salary negotiation (Austin Reeves reportedly is aiming for 40 million a year on a multi-year contract and his teammate Lebron James earned 52 million this season as the slowest player in the league).

I wonder if the championship victor earned more than the team salary combined would players have more incentive to try to win a championship instead of padding their own statistics for salary negotiation points. Even teams with poorly paid players (comparatively since the N.B.A. pays the most of all sports) would have more incentive to try to earn with playoff victories. This season the entire playoff pool payout for all team is just 36 million dollars- less than the pay for a single season of a minor star player. The incentive for winning is somewhat diminished in the N.B.A.’s value theory and entertainment value is promoted more.