Although the influence of the NBA can only rank third among the four major sports leagues in North America, the NBA's player treatment and benefits far exceed those of other leagues, and even the entire world sports arena is also the first.
The well-known sports business website sportico has counted the 50 highest-paid athletes in the history of the world, including Jordan (No. 1), James (6), Kobe Bryant (13), O'Neal (14), Durant (18), Curry (29), Johnson (34), Garnett (35), Westbrook (42), Wade (45), Anthony (47), Paul (49), Thirteen NBA athletes, including Harden (50), made the list, with James Harden, the lowest-earning player, also reaching $435 million, and that number is still rising.
The reason why the NBA has been able to produce so many billionaires is due to their successful commercial operation, in 2013, the NBA signed a nine-year $24 billion broadcast contract with broadcasters, and by 2025, the total broadcast contract will reach more than $70 billion, and the player's income will be further increased.
Although NBA players have a high income, there are some players who spend money lavishly because of the lack of complete education and professional financial knowledge, and once more than 60% of players declared bankruptcy within 5 years after retirement, among which Allen Iverson and Anthony Walker are typical representatives.
In order to ensure the life of NBA players after retirement, the NBA league has formulated a lot of benefits, one of which is called "Player Pension Benefits", as long as you play in the NBA for more than three seasons, you can receive a lot of retirement benefits.
01 Retirement benefit calculation rules
In the 2011 version of the collective bargaining agreement, retired players can choose to apply for player retirement benefits at the age of 45, 50 and 62, and the specific monthly retirement benefits are calculated according to the following rules:
Apply at age 45: $306.34× validity period (3-10 years) ×2/3 (Note: the upper limit is 10 years, and the additional ones will not be supplemented)
Claim at age 50: $306.34× years of validity (3-10 years)
Claim at age 60: 1666.7× validity period (3-10 years)
But this rule is not static, as the NBA's income level increases, the base of retirement benefits will also increase, according to US media reports, the current calculation rules for 45 and 50 years old have been increased from $306.34 to $532.2.
It is worth mentioning that according to the latest collective bargaining agreement, if a player only signs a "10-day short contract" or "two-way contract" with the team before February 2 of each season, then this season is not counted as the number of years of service, and the player's retirement benefits are only related to the number of years, and have nothing to do with the player's performance and ability level.
02 Which players can be received by Chinese players?
In the history of Chinese basketball, there are many players who have been in contact with the NBA, including Song Tao, Hu Weidong and others, including Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming, Battle, Liu Wei, Xue Yuyang, Sun Yue and others, and Zhou Qi, Wang Zhelin and others, but only Wang Zhizhi, Battle, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Yue, and Zhou Qi can really enter the NBA.
Sun Yue is the only guard among the six NBA players, but at that time, because of the conflict of interest between Aoshen and the Basketball Association, he became a victim, after Aoshen withdrew from the CBA, Sun Yue, who signed a contract similar to a lifetime contract with Aoshen, could only wander around with Aoshen, was selected by NBA scouts when playing in the ABA league in the United States, and was selected by the Lakers in 2007, landed in the NBA after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and won the NBA2008-09 championship with the team, but this did not bring him a new contract。
After Sun Yue returned to China, he and his Aoshen continued to mix in low-level leagues, and even had no ball to play for a while, until 2013 when he returned to the CBA on loan.
Zhou Qi is the last NBA player in Chinese basketball so far, he played for the Houston Rockets in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. And then there was no then, although he was only 27 years old, it was basically impossible to go back, so his service life was also stuck at two years, and he could not meet the minimum standard.
In addition to Sun Yue and Zhou Qi, Wang Zhizhi, Battle, Yao Ming, and Yi Jianlian have all played in the NBA for more than three seasons and can receive retirement benefits, so how much can they receive?
03 Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi is known as the "boy chasing the wind", and his outstanding performance in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics won the favor of many American universities, among which no less than ten prestigious universities were willing to provide him with full scholarships, but because of his special status, Wang Zhizhi and his parents chose to give up after careful consideration.
In 1999, Wang Zhizhi was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the draft, and the Mavericks had sent a contract to the Basketball Association, but in the end, the Basketball Association and Bayi did not let go, and finally failed to make the trip.
In 2001, after leading the Bayi men's basketball team to defeat the Shanghai men's basketball team led by Yao Ming to win six consecutive championships, Wang Zhizhi finally got the opportunity to join the Dallas Mavericks and became the first Asian player to land in the NBA.
In the 2000-01 season, Wang Zhizhi only played 5 games because he arrived at the team after the CBA playoffs, but in the 2001-02 season, Wang Zhizhi got 55 appearances in the regular season, averaging 10.9 minutes, 5.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, and entered the playoff list, making 8 appearances in the playoffs, averaging 2.5 points and 1 rebound per game.
This statistic looks unremarkable, but the Mavericks were among the top four teams in the West that year, and being able to get so many opportunities to play in such a team shows that Wang Zhizhi's performance is recognized by the team, so after the end of the 2001-02 season, the Mavericks invited Wang Zhizhi to participate in the summer league and offered him a new contract.
But coincidentally, the time of the summer league happened to conflict with the time of the national team's training camp, because of the mistake of communication, coupled with some good people in the United States to provoke from it, there was a huge disagreement between Wang Zhizhi and the Basketball Association, which caused a sensational "no return" incident, because the impact was too big, the Mavericks gave up Wang Zhizhi, and Wang Zhizhi disappeared from the domestic TV screen.
However, Wang Zhizhi's performance still attracted the attention of the Los Angeles Clippers, and they offered Wang Zhizhi a three-year contract of $6 million, which now seems to be not even enough for the veteran's base salary, but in that year, this price was still much more than the base salary.
However, due to the influence of his own personality and the "no return" incident, Wang Zhizhi's NBA road became narrower and narrower, although he played three more seasons in the Clippers and the Heat, he never played at the level he should have, and finally stuck his NBA career at 5 years.
According to the latest rules, Wang Zhizhi has played in the NBA for 5 seasons, and his retirement benefit claims (rounded to the nearest single digit) are as follows:
If you apply at the age of 45, you can receive: $532.2×5×2/3≈1775 per month, which is about $21,300 per year
If you apply at the age of 50, then you can receive: $532.2×5≈2661 per month, about $31,932 per year
If you apply at the age of 62, you can receive: $1,666.7×5≈8334 per month, about $100,000 per year
Based on the calculation of receiving at the age of 62, Wang Zhizhi can receive 100,000 US dollars per year, which is about 700,000 yuan according to the current exchange rate (1 US dollar≈ 7.0928 yuan, 10:39 on December 29, 2023).
04 Battle
In October 2001, Battle went to the United States to represent the Denver Nuggets in the preseason and successfully obtained a contract, but because he was going to return to China to participate in the National Games, he was cut by the Nuggets, but soon after, the Nuggets issued a new contract to Battle, agreeing that Battle would play in the NBA after the CBA season.
In February 2002, Battle officially became the second Chinese player to land in the NBA, playing 27 games in his first season, 10 of which were starters, when the Nuggets had five insiders, Battle could have gotten more playing time, but because he couldn't adapt to NBA rules for a while, he averaged 3.5 fouls per game, so he could only play 15.1 minutes and get 5.1 points and 3.6 rebounds.
At the end of the season, the Nuggets drafted the Brazilian interior player Nene Hilario, and Battle was waived because of his outstanding strength and heroic deeds of single-handedly toppling O'Neal, Battle was selected by the Spurs to bring his power to San Antonio, and claimed to have successfully won an NBA championship ring.
In the 2003-04 season, Battle played for the Raptors and Magic, but his performance was average, and he rarely had the opportunity to play, when Battle was 29 years old, there was basically no room for improvement, and he was cut three days after being traded to the Magic, although he played in the preseason for the Knicks in October 2004, but ultimately failed to stay, and his NBA career stayed at three years.
According to the latest rules, Battle played 3 seasons in the NBA, and his retirement benefits were claimed as follows:
If you apply at the age of 45, then you can receive: $532.2×3×2/3≈1064 per month, about $12,770 per year
If you apply at the age of 50, then you can receive: $532.2×3≈1597 per month, about $19,164 per year
If you apply at the age of 62, you can receive: $1666.7×3≈5000 per month, about $60,000 per year
At the age of 62, Battle can receive $60,000 a year, which is about 420,000 yuan at today's exchange rate.
05 Yao Ming
In 2002, Yao Ming was elected NBA champion, becoming Asia's first NBA champion, but in the first season, what awaited him was not the praise and appreciation of American fans, but overwhelming doubts, because they did not want to see a Chinese snatch the position of the champion, and they would like to see Yao Ming's jokes.
One of the most impressive is the "Barkley kissing the ass of the donkey" incident, when Barkley made a bet with Kenny Smith on the show, "I have long said that Yao Ming is not good, if he can score 19 points this time, I will kiss your ass", as a result, Yao Ming only scored 3 points in that game, and Barkley was proud.
Six days later, he said, "If Yao Ming can score 19 points in one game in his NBA career, I'll kiss your ass." ”
This time, Barkley looked away, and in the Rockets' game against the Lakers a few days later, Yao Ming scored 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting and successfully slapped Barkley in the face, and Barkley also did what he said, and was about to kiss Kenny Smith, but Smith didn't do it, and finally found a donkey instead.
During Yao Ming's time in the NBA, he has always been an All-Star starter-level player, although he has been plagued by injuries and his combination with Maddie has not reached his peak, Yao Ming still proved to the world that Chinese basketball players can also play at a high level, and at the same time promote the NBA's market expansion in China, which has a huge promotion significance for the development of world basketball, so although Yao Ming has not won such honors as a championship, MVP or even scoring champion in his career, he was also inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Because of injuries, Yao Ming played in the NBA for a total of 9 years, and these 9 years are also one of the most glorious moments of Chinese basketball, at the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese men's basketball team actually sent a lineup of 4 NBA players, in the face of the United States, Spain and other strong teams, although defeated, but in the momentum does not lose, nor cowardice, unfortunately, such a grand occasion, I don't know how many years to see again.
Yao Ming played nine seasons in the NBA, and his retirement benefits were claimed in the following amounts:
If you apply at the age of 45, you can receive: $532.2×9×2/3≈3193 per month, about $38316 per year
If you apply at the age of 50, then you can receive $532.2×9≈4790 per month, about 57,480 yuan per year
If you apply at the age of 62, you can receive: $1,666.7×9≈15,000 per month, about $180,000 per year
At the age of 62, Yao Ming can receive $180,000 a year, which is about 1.26 million yuan at today's exchange rate.
06 Yi Jianlian
Yi Jianlian was selected by the Bucks with the sixth pick in 2007, as a high-pick lottery pick, Yi Jianlian was constantly compared with Yao Ming, because he failed to play a game like Yao Ming, he has been questioned, but now looking back, Yao Ming should not be used as a reference for Yi Jianlian, and Yi Jianlian should not be used as a reference for latecomers, because these two players are too special, and in the next few decades, Chinese basketball may not be able to appear close to these two players.
Yi Jianlian is not without opportunities in the NBA, and he has not proven himself, but his luck does not seem to be so good, he was injured as soon as he broke out, and in his rookie season, he could have played well, but he injured his right shoulder in February and his left knee in April.
In the first three seasons of his career, Yi Jianlian was injured 13 times, eight of which caused long-term injuries and stoppages, basically as soon as he was out of state, he stopped as soon as he played, and there was no way to maintain the level.
In the years when Yi Jianlian was hacked the most, it can actually be boiled down to a simple question: the best player in Asia failed to challenge the NBA.
It's not that Yi Jianlian can't do it, but everyone's expectations for him are higher than his luck and strength at that time, but after leaving the NBA, Yi Jianlian gradually regained his form, and his body was gradually able to stay healthy, so we saw Yi Jianlian in London, The world-class level in the two Olympic Games in Rio, of course, Yi Jianlian at that time had fallen into a state of isolation, in the international arena, a boss can get an average of 20 points per game, which is already very good, but basketball is not a one-person sport, Yi Jianlian has not yet reached the level where O'Neal's grandmother can also win the championship.
So we see that in the 2019 World Cup, Yi Jianlian tried his best against Nigeria, even if he tried his best, he could only leave a sigh and regret, he has never been good at attracting people's attention, nor is he good at showing himself through high talk, but he has been trying to be the best No. 9 rookie.
There is a saying that "the past, count the romantic figures, and look at the present", but the iron-clad Chinese men's basketball team, the flowing water players, when will they see the next Yi Jianlian?
Yi Jianlian's NBA career is only 5 years in total, in fact, he can play a little longer, after regaining his form, he signed a contract with the Lakers, but because the Lakers broke their promises, he promised to let him play power forward, but in the end he wanted him to play center, so Yi Jianlian took the initiative to terminate the contract and returned to Hongyuan to spend the last part of his career.
Today is December 29, 2023, the day of Yi Jianlian's retirement, he did not lead the Chinese men's basketball team to achieve any breakthrough, but he is good enough.
Yi Jianlian played 9 seasons in the NBA, and his retirement benefits were claimed as follows:
If you apply at the age of 45, you can receive: $532.2×5×2/3≈1775 per month, which is about $21,300 per year
If you apply at the age of 50, then you can receive: $532.2×5≈2661 per month, about $31,932 per year
If you apply at the age of 62, you can receive: $1,666.7×5≈8334 per month, about $100,000 per year
At the age of 62, Yi Jianlian can receive $100,000 a year, which is about 700,000 yuan at today's exchange rate.
In fact, the NBA's protection is very perfect, in addition to the retirement benefits mentioned above, the NBA has allowed players to "401(k) plan" since 2011, which is equivalent to a pension, players can deposit up to $14,000 per year into the pension account, and the team will match according to 140% of the player's deposit amount.
In other words, if you save $10,000, the team will help you save $14,000, so that when the player reaches the legal retirement age in the United States, he can get a large pension, but Chinese players left the NBA relatively early, and there is no way to enjoy this treatment.
#文章首发挑战赛#