In 2014, Xiao Hua officially replaced Stern as the new president of the NBA, in order to promote the commercial development of the league and avoid another shutdown, Xiao Hua attracted a large number of loyal fans by promoting the "small ball era" and "building superstars" to maximize the commercial value of the game.
The NBA has made a lot of money by advertising sponsorship and selling game broadcast rights, which has made the league's team salary cap continue to rise for the past seven seasons, and the total amount of top salary contracts and winners have also increased year by year.
A recent list of the top 10 salaried stars this season:
10. Paul George earns $39.34 million a year
Season stats: 24.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2 steals
Shot 42 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from three-point range.
As the league's most controversial star, Paul George has always been difficult to perform as a superstar in terms of personal leadership, and has repeatedly become a background board for the playoffs, which has deepened the fans' impression of his "pseudo-superstar".
Last year's playoffs, counted as George's name battle, when Leonard was reimbursed for a knee injury in the series with the Jazz, George carried both ends of the Clippers' offense and defense on his shoulders, and averaged 26.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in the playoffs, showing the value of a superstar.
Although the Clippers lost to the more aligned Suns in the Western Conference Finals, Paul George's personal play was amazing enough, averaging 40.9 minutes per game in three rounds of playoffs, completing 500+ points, 150+ rebounds, and 100+ assists, compared to James, Bird bird, "Fliggy" Barkley, gliders and Duncan, becoming the sixth in NBA history.
This season, Leonard's return due to injury is undecided, George once again as a single core to lead the team, in the first 20 games of the season, the remnants of the Clippers record in the top six in the West, Terrenlou's on-the-spot command and George's comprehensive play made fans awe-inspiring for the two.
At the end of December last year, the Clippers officially announced that forward Paul George suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow and reassessed 3-4 weeks later. In the 11 games george missed due to injury, the Clippers have only achieved a record of 4 wins and 7 losses, and the current Western Conference ranking has slipped to eighth place in the West.
According to sources ahead, because leonard and George have little chance of coming back this season, the Clippers will most likely give up this season, except for the team's double core and Mann, who are willing to discuss a deal about anyone. Like Maurice Jr., Kennard, Bledsoe, and Ibaka, who have a middle-class contract, they can complete the deal at any time as long as the price is right.
9. Leonard's annual salary is $39.34 million
Season stats: None
In last year's playoff Clippers vs Jazz G4 game, Leonard collided with Ingles on the way to a ball-holding breakthrough, with a slight displacement of the knee in slow-motion replay, and was diagnosed with a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in the right knee after the game, ending last season's journey early.
In his 11 playoff games for the Clippers, Leonard averaged 30.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game, shooting 57.3 percent from the field, including five games with at least 65 percent shooting, compared to Abdul-Jabbar in 1980 and O'Neal in 1998.
Last summer, Leonard qualified for an early contract extension with the Clippers, and given the knee injury, Jr. eventually passed up the opportunity to spend more than $200 million on his next contract (playing another season) and opted for a solid four-year, $173 million top salary contract.
At present, Leonard is in the recuperation stage, according to previous reports, Xiao Ka can already complete the jumping box practice, and he is getting stronger and stronger. But given the Clippers' current poor record, if the mid-season team chooses to sell players in exchange for high draft picks, Leonard's chances of returning this season are slim.
8, Lillard annual salary of 39.34 million US dollars
Season stats: 24 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists
Shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three-point range
If you ask the team that has disappointed fans the most this season, the Blazers must be at the top, and under the leadership of Lillard and McCollum, Portland fans have experienced the taste of the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons, including the 18-19 season and even reached the Western Conference Finals.
In last year's playoffs, when the Blazers were eliminated by the Nuggets in the first round, Lillard began to pressure the team management to be dissatisfied with the team's lineup system, and then head coach Speights stepped down, but Lee knew that the players in his heart were reinforced, but only the new coach Billups, as well as McLemore, Nance Jr. and Zeller three role players.
At the beginning of the new season, I don't know whether it was the reason for changing the game ball, or Lillard's mentality changed, the guard who is good at ultra-long three-point shooting, completely lost the crosshair in terms of projection, contributed 11.4 times per game, and the net efficiency on the court was only -1.8. The team's core state is sluggish, so that the Blazers currently have a record of 16 wins and 25 losses, ranking tenth in the West, and have a four-win gap with the Eighth Clippers in the West.
Lillard had missed five games due to an abdominal tendon injury in the rain overnight, and in order to return to the field as soon as possible in a healthy posture, Lillard chose to undergo abdominal surgery, which is expected to be absent for 5 to 6 weeks. Lee knows that this injury is bound to affect the team's record, if the Blazers fail to enter the playoffs, then the probability of the team changing blood this summer is very large!
7. Alphabet Brother's annual salary is 39.34 million US dollars
Season stats: 28.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists
Shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 27.9 percent from three-point range
Unconsciously, the Bucks, who were plagued by player injuries at the beginning of the season, under the recent strong play of Alphabet Brother, the team's record came to 27 wins and 17 losses, ranking fourth in the East, only 2.5 wins away from the Chicago Bulls, who were the first in the East.
In the past 9 games, Alphabet Brother has played amazingly, averaging 32.6 points, 11.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, leading the team to a record of 6 wins and 3 losses, and pushing Durant and Jokic to dominate the list for two consecutive weeks on the official MVP list, as long as the follow-up is not plagued by injuries, he will most likely gain the third regular season MVP trophy of his career.
In terms of personal performance, Alphabet Brother single-handedly made the average of 27+10+5 per game sparse and ordinary, and he currently scores 15.7 points per game in the box, leading the league; the player efficiency value is as high as 31.9, second only to Nuggets all-around center Jokic.
As the offensive and defensive core of the Bucks, Alphabet Brother's offensive efficiency this season is 114.1, ranking 14th in the league, and defensive efficiency is 103.4, ranking 38th in the league, compared with Durant and James, who are relatively poor in defense, Alphabet Brother's dominance at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends is more worthy of the league's card stars.
Two seasons ago, there was still discussion about the ownership of the league's most powerful forward, when the thick eyebrow brother had not yet "fallen", and the first season of joining the Lakers relied on the dominance of the inside line to help the Lakers win the championship. But today, the low-key and humble and growing alphabet brother has thrown off the "unenterprising" thick eyebrow brother a few streets, and the title of the league's most powerful forward has no controversy.
6, James annual salary of 41.18 million US dollars
Season stats: 29.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.7 steals
Shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three-point range
As a 37-year-old veteran, James's performance so far this season has really surprised fans enough, averaging 29.1 points per game as the fourth highest in his career, shooting percentage above the career average, and "incorruptible and old, still able to eat" is the best evaluation of this proud son of the league.
After the absence of the thick eyebrow brother due to injury, head coach Vogel pushed James to the fifth position, a change that made it extremely easy for James to score on the offensive end, faster than him, faster than him, not stronger than him, and the appearance of misalignment, which is the main reason for his recent state explosion.
In recent games, James has scored 25+ points in 12 consecutive games, second only to kobe bryant's record of 17 consecutive games in 2013, that season the Lakers have Nash, Howard, Kobe Bryant and The Big Gasol "Big Four", but the team has not met the expectations of fans, and the regular season only achieved a record of seventh in the West. Bryant averaged 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.4 steals per game, but suffered a rupture in the Achilles tendon at the end of the season, and his career competitive status declined sharply.
This season's James situation is similar to Kobe Bryant, Westbrook has always been difficult to integrate into the team, the main inner line thick eyebrow brother suffered from injuries, behind James's excellent performance, the Lakers record is only 21 wins and 21 losses, and currently ranks seventh in the West.
In the recent all-star second round of voting results, James with 4386392 votes Fan Chao Durant ranked second, second only to Curry's 4463426 votes, the difference between the two is only 77,000 votes, James in the next two weeks as long as the continuation of the current play, I believe that the probability of becoming the king of this year's All-Star vote is very large.
5. Durant's annual salary is 42.02 million US dollars
Season stats: 29.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists
Shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three-point range
As the league's current scoring champion, Durant still continues the excellent shooting feel of last year's playoffs, and in the case of Harden's rules at the beginning of the season and Irving's inability to play, Durant used a stable mid-range shot to help the Nets stabilize the situation and maintain the team's record in the top three in the East.
Although Durant is still unsolved on the offensive end, his defensive efficiency this season is only 108.6, at the mid-league level, and his playing style away from the box has made him far less deterrent on the inside than Alphabet Brother, George and Jokic.
In the recent Nets game, although Irving can play on the road, this "Galaxy Battleship" is extremely unstable, losing to the 76ers, Grizzlies, Bucks and other strong teams, facing the lack of Lillard's Blazers and the Thunder who choose to mess up, the team's current lineup is very general.
In the last ten games, the Nets have only achieved a record of 4 wins and 6 losses, ceding the throne of the First Place in the East to the Bulls, and the two teams have a two-win gap. Even if Durant contributes to a steady performance of 25+ points in 12 consecutive games, it is still difficult to drag this mired team out, coach Nash's poor tactical arrangement, and lack of firepower in the bench lineup are all reasons that restrict the team from going further.
4. Wei Shao's annual salary is 44.21 million US dollars
Season stats: 18.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.1 steals
Shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 28.8 percent from three-point range
As the league's worst star in recent times, Westbrook has become the object of ridicule by fans across the league, and the most sensational star in the trading market last summer came to the glorious stage of Los Angeles, and his shortcomings were infinitely magnified.
In the last three games, Westbrook has not scored in double figures in each game, shooting only 20% from the field, and the Lakers have suffered two consecutive defeats. What's even more embarrassing is that in the six games since 2022, Westbrook has not yet hit a three-pointer (0-of-15 from three-point range), and the threat of shooting from the outside is almost zero.
At present, Westbrook is stuck in the dead end set by fans, fans mock his number of mistakes at the beginning of the season, he has made a total of four mistakes in the last four games; Lakers fans do not want him to shoot more unreliable three-point shots, and his current average three-point shots per game has dropped to 3.5, these objective data show that Westbrook is changing, but for a star with an annual salary of $44.21 million, a slight imperfect play is enough to be fatal.
Because of the recent poor play, there are endless rumors of Westbrook's departure, but the super high annual salary and poor shooting have made his trading value in the free market zero, and Lakers fans want to see Simmons and Westbrook swapped, but they are also ruthlessly rejected by the 76ers management.
3, Wall annual salary of 44.31 million US dollars
Compared with the first three stars who could not play due to injury, Wall was relatively lucky, first of all, he was not physically troubled by injuries, and secondly, even if he could not play for the team, he could still get an annual salary of $44.31 million. The reason behind this is that the Rockets management wants to cultivate young Jaylen Green and Porter Jr., does not want Wall to take too much of the ball, and finally hides him on the bench after consultation between the two sides.
At present, Wall's only way out is to buy out with the team, but the Rockets who cut the goal will most likely not do so, after all, this summer Wall will have player options, and if he chooses to jump out of the contract to become a free agent, the Rockets will free up more than $40 million in salary space.
If he chooses to continue to execute the contract, the Rockets will still not let him play, and it will not be possible to play for two consecutive seasons, which is undoubtedly a fatal blow for a professional player. It's not so much that the Rockets are developing youngsters as it is about forcing Wall to jump out of contract and become a free agent.
2. Harden's annual salary is $44.31 million
Season stats: 22.6 points, 8 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 1.3 steals
Shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from three-point range
Harden's performance this season can be said to be very struggling, the Christmas war can be said to be a dividing point in Harden's on-field state this season, the previous play is even inferior to a role player, less than 40% shooting rate, making him a burden on the offensive end of the Nets.
So far in the Christmas war, Harden has averaged 27.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game in the last 9 games of the Nets, shooting 44.6% from the field, and his performance on the organizational end is more amazing, but the offensive efficiency is still not up to the league average.
So far this season, Harden has to shoot 7.3 three-pointers per game, but the shooting rate is only 33.7%, an interesting statistic: After the Recent Nets' loss to the Thunder, Harden's career three-point shooting iron number has reached 4455, tying Ray Allen tied for the first place in history, but Harden's current three-point shooting number is still 440 away from Ray Allen, which is enough to show how much Harden likes three-point shooting.
1, Curry's annual salary is 45.78 million US dollars
Season stats: 26.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.4 steals
42 percent shooting percentage and 38.4 percent three-point range
In the Warriors' last five games, they have won only one game, which has allowed them to give the suns the throne of the league's number one record, and during this period, the league's three-point king Curry has played poorly.
In the six games Curry played in January, he shot only 33.9 percent from the field, shooting 9.5 three-pointers per game, but only 28.1 percent from three-point range, and the core player offense was sluggish, which also caused the Warriors' overall offensive efficiency in January to fall to the bottom of the league.
In the game against the Bucks, the Warriors' biggest trail point difference reached 39 points, and when facing Holliday, the league's top backcourt defender, Curry shot only 4 of 11 shots at the same time, and made four turnovers, with a plus-minus of -25 on the whole game, setting a career record of less than 50% shooting in eight consecutive games.
For the current Warriors team, the importance of dreaming Green (injured and missing 4 games) is no less important than Curry, as the team's offensive and defensive engine, with him on the court responsible for dominating the ball, Curry can maximize the threat outside the three-point line. As the absolute core of the Warriors' defense, Dream Green's interior and outside defense capabilities are the key to the Warriors' current defensive efficiency league first.
At present, Klay Thompson is still looking for the state of the game, Curry suffered from the cold winter of shooting, the Warriors want to get back on track, or continue to dream of Green's rescue. If Curry's form can't touch the rebound, this season's All-Star ticket king and regular season MVP will gradually drift away!