query: who got the highest paid contract in the nba

pos: Highest-paid NBA players by season has earned on a 1 year contract, Jordan also holds the record for the second largest 1 year contract at $30,140,000 in the 1996-97 season. Kobe Bryant become just the second player to reach this milestone when the 2013–14 season began. LeBron James became the third in the 2016–17 season. Stephen Curry became the first player to eclipse $40-Million per year when he signed a record 5-year contract worth $201-Million in 2017, starting with $34,682,550 in the 2017-18 season and ending with the largest earnings in the 2021-22 season with a record payout of $45,780,966. Beginning in the 1984–85 NBA

pos: Austin Walton the highest paid undrafted player in the history of the NBA. In March 2016, ESPN writer Ethan Sherwood Strauss published a story about how Under Armour successfully signed away Stephen Curry from Nike in the 2013 offseason, and revealed that Bazemore played a significant role in the signing. Austin Walton Austin Walton is an attorney and American sports agent who represents players in the National Basketball Association. He is the CEO and founder of Walton Sports Management Group, who represents Kent Bazemore of the Atlanta Hawks. Walton was born in Newport News, Virginia. He attended the University of South Florida

neg: Highest-paid NBA players by season team to sign their first-round draft pick to a contract based upon a scale previously set forth by the NBA. Another option for teams would be to assign players to a league-assigned minimum salary contract for a maximum of two years. According to 2010–11 NBA season game performance, the league's best players were not its highest-paid players. Each year there are ten players selected to one of the two All-NBA Teams. Out of those ten players chosen that year, Kobe Bryant was the only player that was also among the game's ten highest-paid during the 2010–11 NBA season. Highest-paid NBA

neg: Highest-paid NBA players by season Highest-paid NBA players by season The highest-paid NBA players by season over the past twelve seasons have received contracts with salaries noted in the twenty-million-dollar range. In this twelve-year span, Kevin Garnett received $28,000,000, which was the highest salary payment of any NBA player, during the 2003–04 season. Garnett has been the highest-paid NBA player per year in seven of the past twelve NBA seasons. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over thirty million dollars in a season. During the 1997–98 season, Jordan earned $33,140,000, which still stands as the most any NBA player

neg: 1978 NBA draft Red's lowball salary offers (he said that he would not offer Bird a contract that paid him more than the $400,000 annual salary of the team's highest-paid player at the time, Dave Cowens) and made it clear that Bird would enter the 1979 Draft without any regrets if Boston didn't change its plans. Nevertheless, on April 1979, he signed a five-year, US$3.25-million contract with the Celtics, which made him the highest-paid rookie in the history of team sport at that time. Maurice Cheeks, the 36th pick, was selected to four All-Star Games and five consecutive All-Defensive Teams. After retiring as

neg: 2011 NBA lockout pick Kenyon Martin, a free agent, signed a one-year contract with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association that would make him the highest paid player in the league's history at $500,000 a month. Unlike players who signed more lucrative contracts overseas, three-time NBA champion Tony Parker opted to play for the minimum wage of $2,000 per month with ASVEL Basket, the French team he partly owns. Parker joined several foreign players, such as Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw, Rudy Fernández, Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur, who opted to play in their home countries until the lockout ended. An

neg: Magic Johnson Buss had given Johnson a contract that paid him $14 million a year, as payback for all the years he was not the league's highest paid player. Although Johnson's retirement prior to the 1992–93 NBA season voided this contract, Buss insisted that he still be paid. It was this arrangement that allowed Johnson to coach the team without receiving any additional salary. After Johnson ended his coaching stint, Buss sold him a 4% stake in the Lakers for $10 million, and Johnson served as a team executive. Johnson's autobiography is Other biographies include: Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born

neg: Highest-paid NBA players by season season, the NBA's first salary cap was introduced. The NBA salary cap is the maximum dollar amount each NBA team can spend on its players for the season. However, the NBA uses a "soft" salary cap, which means that significant "salary exceptions" allow NBA teams to exceed their allotted amount in order to sign players. The salary cap is determined during the offseason, but as stated earlier, it is liable to change. An exception is necessary to sign a player for a contract that would exceed the salary cap threshold of the "soft cap". The Larry Bird exception, more commonly

neg: Kenyon Martin of 2011; however, due to the 2011 NBA lockout, he opted to sign a one-year contract with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. His contract reportedly would have made him the highest paid player in the Chinese league's history. On December 24, 2011, Martin was released from the club so that he could "take care of family affairs". Martin was initially not allowed to return to the NBA until the Flying Tigers' season ended on February 15, 2012, if not later due to the 2012 CBA Playoffs. However, the FIBA granted him an earlier release on February

neg: Mark Termini teams using preemptive media comments to chill offers for restricted free agents. This resulted in the NBA sending a memo to its teams warning of potential exposure if they used this long-unchallenged tactic. Just prior to the 2015-16 season, Termini and Paul negotiated a five-year, $82 million contract for restricted free agent Tristan Thompson. That deal made Thompson the sixth-highest-paid power forward in the NBA for the 2015-16 season In 2015, Termini also negotiated a four-year, $33 million free agent contract for his client Kosta Koufos, along with deals for several other Klutch clients including Cory Joseph (four years, $30

neg: Rob Pelinka Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Lakers for the 4th year veteran's minimum salary of $916,099 after, teaming with Pelinka clients Bryant as well as Kaman, who signed with the Lakers the prior week. Trevor Ariza switched agents to sign with Pelinka one year before his contract with the Washington Wizards was due to expire. On November 25, Bryant signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers at an estimated value of $48.5 million that will make him the first NBA player to play 20 years with the same franchise. He remained the league's highest-paid player, despite accepting the

neg: Earl Boykins finished the season there. Following the 2007–08 NBA season, Boykins was an unrestricted free agent. Instead of signing with an NBA team, he decided to play basketball in Europe and signed a one-year, $3.5 million net income contract with Virtus Bologna of the Italian A League. The one-year deal made Boykins the highest-paid basketball player in the Italian League and included income from Bologna's sponsorship and marketing arms, which is not an option for NBA players because of salary-cap restrictions. On December 26, 2008, it was announced by Virtus owner Claudio Sabatini that Boykins was cut from the club due

neg: C. Lamont Smith contract that made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. He represented Jerome Bettis with the Pittsburgh Steelers and got him a six-year $30 million contract extension; he represented Trevor Pryce, whose seven-year, $70 million deal with the Denver Broncos made him the highest-paid NFL defensive player . Smith's firm has represented Barry Sanders (retired, Detroit Lions), Kevan Barlow (running back, San Francisco 49ers), Willie Roaf (offensive tackle, New Orleans Saints), Derrick Alexander (wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs), Chad Brown (linebacker, Seattle Seahawks), Jason Gildon (linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers), Pierre Thomas (Star running back/kickoff-returner for the New Orleans Saints) and

neg: Allan Houston in making a comeback. Despite not having played in the league since 2005, Houston was the second highest paid player in the league two years later during the 2006-07 NBA season at $20.7 million. On June 27, it was again reported that Houston was interested in making a comeback. The Knicks signed Houston to a contract, of which terms were not disclosed. On October 8, 2007, it was reported that Houston would join the Knicks in training camp, and that Jared Jeffries, who wore number 20 with the Knicks, would switch to number 1 so that Houston could wear his

neg: Kevin McHale (basketball) the Celtics were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks. This embarrassing defeat led to the firing of head coach Bill Fitch and a temporarily unhappy McHale. Following the 1982–83 season, McHale's contract with the Celtics expired, and the New York Knicks signed him to a contract offer sheet. Auerbach retaliated by signing three of New York's top free agent players to offer sheets. The Knicks elected to re-sign their players and give up their pursuit of McHale. McHale eventually re-signed with Boston, his $1 million per season contract making him the fourth-highest paid player in the NBA. McHale won the first

neg: Jerry Lucas second-highest paid player on the Royals after Oscar Robertson. He was still in post-graduate studies at Ohio State at this time. But he was also drafted by a pro team in another league. George Steinbrenner, then the owner of the newly formed American Basketball League's Cleveland Pipers, interested the young star with a combination managerial-player contract unlike any in sports. Lucas, in fact, received ownership stock in the team as part of the deal. The NBA then made overtures to have the ABL Cleveland team, with Lucas, jump leagues that Summer. When that deal was approved by Steinbrenner, the NBA

neg: Harry Newman with the Brooklyn Tigers. Newman reportedly made the move "because he got a contract calling for a big increase in salary." Newman was one of the first established stars to switch to the new league, and sports writer Harry Grayson reported on Newman's move: "Harry Newman, the former Michigan quarterback who has been the highest paid pro athlete of the last three campaigns, has left the Giants flat to perform with and be the business manager of the American League entry which plans to stage its games at the Yankee Stadium." Even before the new league got started, it was

neg: Juwan Howard the season, Walker was replaced by Leonard Hamilton, becoming the team's sixth head coach since last making the NBA Playoffs four years earlier. Although it had been five years since his only All-Star appearance, Howard was the fourth-highest-paid player in the NBA during the 2000–01 season, behind Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O'Neal and Mourning. Howard, along with Strickland and Richmond, were marquee names on the team under contract to earn at least $10 million. On December 31, 2000, Howard, posted his career high of 15 made free throws in a game against the . Despite the fact that the February 11,

neg: Dirk Nowitzki Mavericks lost the first three games of the series, and Nowitzki fell ill with the flu and later lost a tooth after a collision with Spurs guard Terry Porter. After a Game 4 win, Nowitzki scored 42 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in Game 5, but could not prevent a deciding 105–87 loss. Prior to the 2001–02 NBA season, Nowitzki signed a six-year, $90 million contract extension, which made him the second-highest-paid German athlete after Formula One champion Michael Schumacher. He continued to improve, averaging 23.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Nowitzki was voted into the All-NBA

neg: Lawrence Frank 2013, he gave in to rookie coach Jason Kidd's rather public recruiting efforts to make Frank (who had coached Kidd when he played for the Nets) his lead assistant coach on the now-Brooklyn Nets. Frank's contract made him the highest-paid assistant coach in the NBA at the time (approximately $6 million over 6 years). Preferring to delegate his authority, Kidd stated that Frank's role would be to run the team's defense, while being Kidd's head-coaching mentor. Kidd placed another assistant coach, John Welch, in charge of the team's offense. On December 3, 2013, Frank was demoted, relegated by Nets head

neg: Showtime (basketball) Lakers fans and the Los Angeles media. Buss was not afraid to spend money on players. In 1981, Abdul-Jabbar was the highest-paid player in NBA at $870,000 a season, when Buss signed Johnson to a 25-year, $25 million contract. The most important component of Showtime was the Lakers' fast break. In a typical sequence, rebounders such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kurt Rambis, and A. C. Green would quickly release an outlet pass to Johnson, who would race down the court and distribute the ball to players such as Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Byron Scott, and Michael Cooper for a finishing layup

neg: Priority Sports and Entertainment Ryan Jensen, OG Zach Fulton, QB Josh McCown, OT Jack Mewhort, QB Jake Rudock, TE Josiah Price, FB Zach Line, LB Mike Mauti, and QB Drew Stanton), and finished #1 among all agencies worldwide for the highest percentage guarantees in their contracts. Since founding Priority Sports, Bartelstein has been rated as one of the most influential sports agents by Street & Smith's "Sports Business Journal". He first gained acclaim after negotiating the contract for NBA star John "Hot Rod" Williams, because it made him the highest paid player in the history of team sports at the time. The company has

neg: Jerry Reinsdorf employer of the highest paid Major League Baseball player and highest paid professional basketball player (Jordan) at the same time. Reinsdorf had just re-signed Jordan after the 1995–96 NBA season. However, Jordan had been underpaid most of his career, and Reinsdorf, who did not feel he could justify the $30 million salary from a business standpoint, immediately realized he was going to soon feel buyer's remorse. Even his most successful baseball team was not highly paid: when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series, Reinsdorf had the 13th highest payroll of the 30 Major League Baseball teams. After Reinsdorf

neg: Russ Schoene scored a career-high 20 points on three occasions. Arguably his best NBA game was on April 24, 1988, when he had 20 points, four rebounds, a steal, an assist, and no turnovers in 33 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers. Schoene wore #40 as a Sonic. Following the 1988-89 season, he accepted a three-year, $2.4 million contract offer to play for Glaxo Verona in the Italian League (Schoene believed this contract made him Europe's highest-paid professional basketball player). He played in Italy for five seasons, and led Glaxo Verona to win the Coppa Italia trophy in 1991. In 1993, the

neg: Larry Jones (basketball) They eventually arrived at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum at 1:39 PM, only twenty minutes before the game start. Despite his tally, Jones was pipped to the All-Star Game MVP award (and assorted prizes such as a one-year Dodge Challenger lease) by Denver teammate Spencer Haywood. This reflected Denver's payroll where Jones was replaced as the Rockets' highest-paid player by Haywood, a rookie, when he signed in 1969. In fact Haywood's $1.9 million contract (which included a $50,000 signing bonus) dwarfed Jones' $23,000 per year. Though Haywood left for the NBA after one season (as his contract deferred most of

neg: NBA fines every time he gets fined, he matches that amount and donates it to a charity of his choice. As one of the world's highest-paid group of athletes, an NBA player's average salary is $4,001,760, and some contracts are worth over $10 million. The average fine in the 2015-2016 season, for the 246 players who been fined total an amount of $5,463,829, with an average of $22,210 The impact to NBA players is approximately $150 to a person who makes $30,000 annually. The NBA says that it allocates fine money to charity, although it is the only professional sports organization that

neg: 1988 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season executive Phil Krueger countered that the team's offer was higher than what Bennie Blades, the player drafted ahead of Gruber, had signed for; and that Cindrich was demanding that Gruber be paid more than first-overall pick Aundray Bruce. Only when owner Hugh Culverhouse got involved in the negotiations did Gruber sign, ending a holdout that lasted for a month. Gruber signed a five-year contract that not only made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history, but it set a precedent for linemen to be paid on par with defensive stars, and was so much higher than the regular salary

neg: 2015 NBA draft receive a top three pick, the other teams received an NBA draft pick based on their winning percentage from the prior season. The table below shows each non-playoff team's chances (based on their record at the end of the NBA season) of receiving picks 1–14. The 2015 NBA lottery was held on May 19. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who had the worst record in the NBA and the highest chance to win the lottery at 25%, won the lottery. The Los Angeles Lakers moved from the fourth spot to second, while the Philadelphia 76ers got the third pick. The only team

neg: Greg Mattison Brady Hoke, who is a close friend of Mattison's and was the Wolverines' defensive ends coach during Mattison's previous stint as defensive coordinator at Michigan. His contract at Michigan makes him among the highest paid college football assistant coaches in the country. He was selected as one of five finalists for the 2011 Broyles Award. On January 26, 2009, Mattison was promoted to defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens; he was the successor of former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. He was the team's linebackers coach, a job he got in part due to his relationship with John Harbaugh. During his

neg: Bobby Clarke than his dispute with Eric Lindros and his parents, particularly his father Carl who was Eric's agent. The trouble started following the 1997–98 season while negotiating a new contract for Lindros. Clarke threatened to trade him, saying, "If you want to be the highest-paid player in the game or close to it, you've got to play that way." While Lindros was not traded and he played well during the 1998–99 season, his season was cut short after sustaining a collapsed lung during a game on April 1 against the Nashville Predators. Lindros' parents criticized team trainer John Worley and claimed

neg: 2017–18 Phoenix Suns season on the same day they officially waived center Greg Monroe from the team (January 31), the Suns signed Northern Arizona Suns point guard Josh Gray to a 10-day contract a day later. In the aftermath of the February 8, 2018 NBA trade deadline, the Suns were forced to waive Isaiah Canaan (with him still receiving his full salary for the year) in order to gain Elfrid Payton in their trade with the Orlando Magic in exchange for a second round pick from Memphis. However, Canaan still got paid the full salary for the season and use the team's facilities to

neg: Cindrich & Company other bidders was a clause they agreed to insert into Wolford’s new contract. It guaranteed that Will Wolford, left tackle, would remain the highest paid player on the Colts’ offense for as long as he played on it. Better paid than the Colts’ running backs, the Colts’ wide receivers, or any of the other acknowledged stars. Even if the Colts went out and got themselves the NFL’s most expensive quarterback, Wolford’s salary would rise to eclipse his, too. “I thought linemen would get a little more money from free agency,” said Wolford later. “But I didn’t think that would happen.

neg: Kenny Easley four interceptions for touchdowns, including one caught by Easley, breaking the record for most touchdowns scored from an interception in a game. He also took over the role of the team's main punt returner when Paul Johns got injured earlier in the season. After the season, Easley signed a five-year contract to stay with the Seahawks, averaging $650,000 a year plus incentives. The contract made him one of the highest paid defensive players in the league. In 1985, Easley was selected for his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl, a team record until defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy was selected for his fifth

neg: Jeff Bagwell won his first Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, and Player of the Year Awards from "The Sporting News", Associated Press, "Baseball Digest", and "USA Today" "Baseball Weekly." "Crazy stuff happened that year", Bagwell recalled of his 1994 season. "Every pitch that I was looking for, I got. And when I got it, I didn't miss it." The Astros and Bagwell agreed to a four-year contract on November 23, 1994, worth $27.5 million (USD, $ million today) with the three option years. The average annual value of $6.875 million ($ million today) made him the fifth-highest paid player in the majors. The

neg: Demond Mallet Detroit Pistons' summer league squad. He also played in the 2002 NBA Summer League, with the summer league squad of the Boston Celtics. Mallet played several years in Germany, in the Bundesliga, the country's premier basketball league, but later moved to Spain, and then Turkey; and in 2010, Belgium, where he signed a two-year contract, to reportedly become the highest-paid player in Belgium at the time. In December 2011, he moved from the Belgium club, during the 2011–12 season, where he was rated as one of the best point guards in the EuroLeague that season, to Maccabi Tel Aviv, in

neg: John "Hot Rod" Williams occurred in 1989, when he averaged 16.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.04 blocked shots per game while mostly serving as the team's sixth man. Following the 1989-90 season, he re-signed with the Cavaliers to a 7-year, $26.5 million contract, making him one of the five highest paid players in the NBA in the early 1990s. At the time, this was an unprecedented salary for a sixth man like Williams. Prior March 22, 2009, he ranked as the Cavaliers' all-time leader in blocked shots (1,200) (surpassed by Žydrūnas Ilgauskas). Williams spent nine seasons with the Cavaliers before being traded to the

neg: Mark Termini contract for LeBron James, which made him the highest paid player in the NBA for the first time in his career. They also finalized a four-year, $57 million deal for Klutch Sports Group client J.R. Smith just before the start of the 2016-17 season. Termini is often quoted in the media on issues related to sports economics and sports law. He has written on these topics as well. A former basketball standout in high school and college, Termini scored 1,161 career points when he played for Case Western Reserve University from 1974 through 1978. He averaged 21.7 points per game

neg: Tyronn Lue Angeles Lakers. On October 23, 2009, Boston named Lue director of basketball development. In July 2013, he joined the Los Angeles Clippers' coaching staff. On June 23, 2014, Lue joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as associate head coach, making him the highest-paid assistant coach in the NBA in the process. Lue had been a top candidate for the Cavs' head coaching job, which eventually went to David Blatt. On January 22, 2016, Lue was named head coach of the Cavaliers immediately following the mid-season firing of Blatt. The contract was for three years. On May 19, 2016, the Cavaliers defeated the

neg: David Robinson (basketball) Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia. He was regularly featured in recruiting materials for the service. Despite the nickname "Admiral", Robinson's actual rank upon fulfilling his service commitment was Lieutenant (junior grade). Since he had not signed a contract, NBA regulations stated that Robinson could have reentered the draft after his naval service. Although there was speculation that he might choose not to sign with the Spurs, Robinson agreed to move to San Antonio for the 1989–90 season, but the Spurs agreed to pay him as much as the average of the salaries of the two highest-paid players in

neg: Scott Layden the highest-paid player in franchise history. This transaction put the team "well over $80 million in payroll this season [2001]." Houston retired after the 2004-05 season with chronic knee complications; there was roughly $40,000,000 left on his contract. Less than a month later, on August 10, Glen Rice was traded to the Houston Rockets and guard Muggsy Bogues to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a three-team deal in exchange for guard Howard Eisley from the Mavericks and forward Shandon Anderson from the Rockets. On paper this trade looks merely like a swap of average NBA players, but this was

neg: Larry Bird Celtics immediately; instead, he played out his final season at Indiana State and led the Sycamores to the NCAA title game. Red Auerbach publicly stated that he would not pay Bird more than any Celtic on the current roster, but Bird's agent bluntly told Red that Bird would reject any sub-market offers and simply enter the 1979 NBA Draft instead, where Boston's rights would expire the second the draft began and Bird would have been the likely top pick. After protracted negotiations, Bird inked a five-year, $3.25 million contract with the team, making him the highest paid rookie in league

neg: NBA on ABC TNT and allowed ABC and ESPN to acquire the rights to air the league's games. ABC and ESPN reportedly paid an average of about US$400 million a season. Technically, ESPN pays the NBA for its broadcast rights and "buys" time on ABC to air select games (this is noted in copyright tags during the end credits at the conclusion of the telecasts, saying ""The preceding program has been paid for by ESPN, Inc."") In all, the contract allowed the NBA to increase its rights fees by 25%. NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said regarding the deal: In June 2007, and

neg: Vassilis Spanoulis was for 3-years, at €5,500,000 euros net income salary, plus a $1,166,400 contract buyout from his NBA San Antonio Spurs contract (Panathinaikos paid the buyout, so it did not count against the Spurs' salary cap). Spanoulis' agent set up the contract so that Spanoulis could opt out of it after one year. Spanoulis originally stated that, after the first year of his contract, he might opt out of it and return to San Antonio to play in the NBA again. During the 2007–08 season, Spanoulis led his team, Panathinaikos, in both points scored (661) and assists (215), over 36 games

neg: Michel Therrien six games. At the end of the season, general manager Marc Bergevin rewarded Therrien with a new contract, a four-year extension. With the contract, he became the highest-paid coach in the history of the Canadiens. In 2015–16, after starting the season with a 19–4–3 win-loss record, the Canadiens collapsed following an injury to goaltender Carey Price, ending the season with a .500 record and failing to make the playoffs. On November 4, 2016, his 53rd birthday, the Canadiens got blown out 10-0 by the Columbus Blue Jackets. On January 7, 2017, Therrien recorded his 400th win as a coach in

neg: Mark Termini fourth-highest NBA salary at $4 million in the 1993-94 season. In August 1993, The Dallas Morning News included Termini in a group of the five most influential and high-profile NBA agents. Termini represented Pau Gasol, a four-time NBA All-Star and current member of the San Antonio Spurs, when he played for the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol left his agency in 2004 after Termini refused to reduce his contract negotiation fee. Other former clients include Gary Trent, Calvin Booth, and Earl Boykins. In 2006, Termini helped his client Damon Jones become the first NBA player to sign an endorsement contract with Chinese

neg: LeBron James As a result of James's endorsement money and NBA salary, he has been listed as one of the world's highest-paid athletes. In 2013, he surpassed Kobe Bryant as the highest paid basketball player in the world, with earnings of $56.5 million. In 2014, James realized a profit of more than $30 million as part of Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics; he had originally struck a deal to get a small stake in the company at its inception in exchange for promoting its headphones. In 2015, he was ranked the sixth highest earning sportsperson, and third highest in 2016 (after Cristiano

neg: Mickey Mantle games, getting two walks in the first and a single in the second game. On January 16, 1961, Mantle became the highest-paid player in baseball by signing a $75,000 ($ today) contract. DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, and Ted Williams, who had just retired, had been paid over $100,000 in a season, and Ruth had a peak salary of $80,000. Mantle became the highest-paid active player of his time. Mantle's top salary was $100,000, which he reached for the 1963 season. Having reached that pinnacle in his 13th season, he never asked for another raise. During the 1961 season, Mantle and teammate

neg: Fred Dunlap to Ribowsky, "For this Shot Heard 'Round Cleveland, Dunlap won the nickname 'Sure Shot.'" In November 1883, Dunlap signed a contract to play for the St. Louis Maroons in the new Union Association. He was the biggest star lured to the new league. His contract paid Dunlap a salary of $3,400 (including $1,000 paid in advance), the highest salary paid to any baseball player at that time. He remained the highest paid baseball player every year from 1884 to 1889. Dunlap played second base for the St. Louis Maroons from 1884 to 1886 and also served as the team's manager

neg: Michael Jordan for second place with three apiece. The 1998 Finals holds the highest television rating of any Finals series in history. Game 6 also holds the highest television rating of any game in NBA history. With Phil Jackson's contract expiring, the pending departures of Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman looming, and being in the latter stages of an owner-induced lockout of NBA players, Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999. On January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA not as a player, but as part owner and president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. Jordan's responsibilities

neg: NBA on CBS like NBC could because of their NFL and college basketball coverage. Plus around this time, CBS had signed deals with Major League Baseball and the Winter Olympics, making it even more difficult to accommodate the NBA’s request for more over the air telecasts. All in all, CBS was by 1990 pretty much destined to cut ties with the NBA. From 1986 to its final year in 1990, CBS paid about US$47 million per year for the NBA broadcast contract. The final NBA game that CBS televised to date occurred on June 14, 1990. It was Game 5 of the NBA

neg: David Thompson (basketball) 73 points against the Detroit Pistons in an effort to win the NBA scoring title (he barely lost the scoring title to San Antonio's George Gervin, who scored 63 points in a game played later that same day). He also led the Denver Nuggets to the NBA playoffs, but they lost to the eventual Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics. After the 1978 season, Thompson signed a record-breaking contract for $4 million over five-years. That amount was more than any basketball player ever had previously been paid. However, from that point, injuries and persistent problems with substance abuse would trouble Thompson

neg: J. R. Bremer J. R. Bremer Ernest Lenell "J. R." Bremer (born September 19, 1980) is an American-born naturalized Bosnian-Herzegovinian professional basketball player who last played for Limoges CSP of the LNB Pro A. Bremer has also played in the NBA and was an NBA All-Rookie second team member. Standing at , he plays the point guard position. He also represented the senior men's Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team and was one of the highest-paid point guards in Europe in 2008. Bremer played college basketball at St. Bonaventure University, with the St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team. In 2002, Bremer attended the

neg: Rudy Fernández (basketball) On his exit out of the club he paid tribute to his DKV coach, Aíto García Reneses, "All I know of basketball is thanks to Aíto García Reneses", he said. On June 28, 2007, Fernández was taken 24th overall in the NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, who subsequently traded his draft rights along with James Jones to the Portland Trail Blazers for cash. Rudy Fernández announced at a press conference on Friday, June 6, 2008, that he would leave DKV Joventut to join the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2008–09 NBA season, and he signed a contract with the

neg: 1991–92 Los Angeles Lakers season was going to dedicate his life to spread the word about HIV prevention and promote safer sex. The NBA world was in shock, and even U. S. president George H. W. Bush mourned: "For me, Magic is a hero, a hero for anyone who loves sports." Johnson immediately was listed as an injured reserve on the roster, but due to his valid contract, he continued to be paid by the Lakers franchise. Nonetheless, Johnson was still voted into the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, and the press speculated whether he was going to make a comeback. Moreover, many colleagues were wary:

neg: Dragan Bender Suns' highest-selected rookie since Armen Gilliam was taken second overall in 1987, and the highest-selected Croatian to be taken in an NBA draft. On July 7, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Suns and joined the team for the 2016 NBA Summer League. Bender made his debut for the Suns in their season opener on October 26, 2016, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in a 113–94 loss to the Sacramento Kings. With Bender playing alongside Devin Booker and fellow rookie Marquese Chriss, the Suns became the first NBA team to get three teenagers on the floor in

neg: Basketball looked at by many as a niche league. However, the league has recently taken steps forward. In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ESPN. The new television deal ran from 2009 to 2016. Along with this deal, came the first ever rights fees to be paid to a women's professional sports league. Over the eight years of the contract, "millions and millions of dollars" were "dispersed to the league's teams." In a March 12, 2009 article, NBA commissioner David Stern said that in the bad economy, "the NBA is far less profitable than the WNBA. We're losing

neg: Demonte Harper Demonte Harper Demonte Harper (born June 21, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who plays for Tofaş of the Turkish Basketball Super League. He played college basketball at Morehead State University. Demonte Harper went undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft, making him an unrestricted free agent. In July 2012, Harper landed a spot on the Denver Nuggets NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas, Nevada. Harper averaged 5 points per game. His highest scoring game was 17 points against the Portland Trail Blazers along with 5 assists and 5 defensive rebounds. In September 2012, Harper signed a contract with

neg: Hugh Culverhouse and Paul Gruber were so high as to upset other team owners, while he made Ray Perkins one of the five highest-paid NFL head coaches. He also offered Bill Parcells $6.5 million to coach the team, offered draft pick Bo Jackson a five-year, $7 million contract that was at the time the highest in NFL history for a rookie, paid Keith McCants an NFL-record $2.5 million signing bonus, and paid Steve Young $6 million in salary, plus another $1 million for the buyout of his USFL contract. Culverhouse was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1992. After a successful operation to

neg: Kristaps Porziņģis fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He was booed by some New York fans upon being drafted, but vowed to change the fans' opinions on him from negative to positive. On the same night, the New York Knicks traded for Porziņģis' teammate from Sevilla, Willy Hernangómez, who was originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as a 35th overall pick. Porziņģis became the highest drafted Latvian and Baltic player in NBA history. On 30 July 2015, Porziņģis signed his rookie-scale contract with the Knicks. On 28 October 2015, he scored 16 points in his

neg: Will Muschamp the highest-paid assistant coach in the SEC. Muschamp received a contract with a $425,000 annual salary at Texas, making him the highest-paid assistant coach in the Big 12. On November 18, 2008, the University of Texas announced Muschamp would succeed Brown whenever he retired. They agreed in principle to increase Muschamp's salary to $900,000. There was no timetable set for Brown's departure, and both Brown and UT said they expected Brown to stay a long time. Fifty-nine-year-old Brown was under contract as head coach through 2016. Upon Brown's retirement, Muschamp was slated to get a five-year contract as head coach.

neg: Highest-paid NBA players by season known as Bird Rights, allows teams to re-sign a current player only if he has played for that particular team for a minimum of three years. Another exception known as the mid-level exception allows for teams that are over the salary cap to sign one or more players as long as they do not exceed the total amount of the average NBA salary. Next, the bi-annual exception can be used by teams every other year to sign a free agent(s) for up to two years at an amount set by the NBA. Finally, the rookie player exception allows any NBA

neg: Albert Belle last day of the season, it was Belle who took over as the major leagues' active leader in the category. His White Sox contract had an unusual clause allowing him to demand that he would remain one of the three highest paid players in baseball. In October 1998 he invoked the clause, and when the White Sox declined to give him a raise he immediately became a free agent. He again became the game's highest paid player, signing a five-year, $65 million ($ today) deal with the Baltimore Orioles. But his career ended just two seasons later when he was

neg: Jesus Luz acting at the training school for actors "Casa das Artes de Laranjeiras". He obtained a small part in the television series Pegadoras ("The sinful") which was broadcast on Rede Globo. In 2008 Luz signed the contract with Ford Models becoming one of the highest paid male models in the world. That same year Luz got his first big international job when Steven Klein chose him to pose alongside Madonna for the W magazine photo shoot. Rumors that the relationship moved from staged photographs to real life began in December 2008 when reports from the Brazilian press surfaced which made Luz

neg: Cyclone Taylor Hockey Club of the new National Hockey Association (NHA) announced that they had signed Taylor, but a week later Taylor said that he had decided to stay in Ottawa. After another week, Taylor changed his mind and said he would join Renfrew, signing for a reported $5,250 for one season (because of the high salaries the players got, the fans called them the Renfrew Millionaires). This made him the highest paid Canadian athlete, and he made more money than the Canadian prime minister. At the same time, Lester Patrick was given a similar contract to join the Renfrew team, along

neg: Rick Barry Upset that he was not paid incentive monies that he believed due from Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli, Barry jumped to the ABA's Oakland Oaks, who offered him a lucrative contract and the chance to play for Bruce Hale, his then-father-in-law. The three-year contract offer from Pat Boone, the singer and team owner, was estimated to be worth $500,000, with Barry saying "the offer Oakland made me was one I simply couldn't turn down" and that it would make him one of basketball's highest-paid players. The courts ordered Barry to sit out the 1967–68 season before he starred in the ABA,

neg: Primož Roglič after quitting ski jumping, because he felt it was too hard to be at the highest level of the sport. Roglič quickly made the jump to paid levels for the 2013 season with the continental Adria Mobil team. After three seasons with the team his successful 2015 season, including a win at the 2015 Tour of Slovenia, got him a contract to ride with for the next season. At his first year at World Tour level, Roglič showed his talent straight away when placing 5th overall at Volta ao Algarve. Just one month later he finished 2nd on stage 7

neg: Horace Jenkins Jenkins attended all three NBA pre-draft camps, but he was undrafted in the 2001 NBA Draft. In the summer of 2001, Jenkins attended rookie camp with the Orlando Magic, and also received an invitation to training camp with Orlando. However, he declined the invite, and signed with Cimberio Borgomanero, a team in the Italian second league. He received a guaranteed one-year contract. He spent the 2002 NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks, and the 2003 Summer League with the Seattle SuperSonics. Horace Jenkins got his break in the summer of 2004, playing in the NBA Summer League with

neg: Tom Coughlin Bush to the White House to honor their victory in Super Bowl XLII. The Super Bowl win got Coughlin a four-year contract worth roughly $21 million to coach the Giants through 2011. The deal made him one of the NFL's highest-paid coaches. Fresh off their Super Bowl season, the team started off red hot going 11–1 through 12 games, but after the Plaxico Burress shooting incident, the team went 1–3 down the stretch and despite being the #1 seed they were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants finished 8–8 in 2009, despite

neg: Josh Brown (American football) him the highest paid kicker, but he took offense to the fact that the Seahawks' contract was something Brown got offered after visiting the Rams. In an interview on Seattle sports radio station KJR 950 he stated that he had not wanted to be a "slave to the businessman," a statement that was ridiculed by Seattle media and fans. On October 12, 2008, Brown kicked four field goals, including the game-winning 49-yarder as time expired against Washington Redskins. On November 1, 2009, Brown threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Fells with 54 seconds remaining in the first

neg: Michael Malone (basketball) Playoffs, the Warriors upset the third-seed Denver Nuggets in the first round and lost to the eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in six games the next round. Malone was reportedly the highest-paid NBA assistant coach in the season. In 2012, Malone was named the best assistant coach in the NBA by NBA General Managers. On June 3, 2013, Malone was hired by majority owner Vivek Ranadive as the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings. On December 15, 2014, he was fired by the Kings after starting the 2014–15 season with an 11–13 win/loss record. On June 15,

neg: Dick Bavetta progression of his career in the NBA. From 1990 to 2000, Bavetta regularly refereed playoff games and was ranked at the top among referees in terms of performance evaluation. In 2000, he was one of the highest-paid referees in the NBA, earning over $200,000 a year. Among those playoff games included Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, in which Bavetta ruled that a three-point basket made by Howard Eisley of the Utah Jazz was released after the shot clock buzzer sounded and thus would not count. However, television replays on NBC showed otherwise. Bavetta's career was threatened when he

neg: Deandre Ayton overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He was the franchise's first ever No. 1 pick in their 50-year history, as well as their highest overall selection to date. He also became the first #1 selection in NBA history to be taken in the same state he played in both high school and college before entering the NBA. Ayton would then join the 2018 NBA Summer League Suns squad on July 1, 2018, signing his proper rookie-scale contract five days later. In his Summer League debut on July 6, Ayton recorded 10 points and 8 rebounds in a 92–85 win

neg: 2007 NBA Playoffs the teams, as Dallas had one of the best records in NBA regular season history. Expectations of a short series were immediately dashed by Golden State's Game 1 victory in Dallas, behind guard Baron Davis and his rather frantic style of play. The Mavericks came back to win Game 2 to tie the series at 1. But when the series shifted to Oakland for the next two games, a new X-factor emerged for the Warriors: their home crowd at the Oracle Arena. The electric crowd, which was the highest paid attendance crowd for an NBA game in the history of

neg: 1983 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season Browning and a 1984 fourth-round draft choice. Jimmie Giles held out of training camp, and attempted to use threats of leaving for the USFL as leverage to get his contract renegotiated. Giles, who was upset because the previous year's players’ association contract expiration prevented a promised renegotiation from occurring, became the first Buccaneer to engage in a training camp holdout while under contract. Mark Cotney also had difficulty reaching an agreement with the team, but was eventually able to settle a contract. Lee Roy Selmon was awarded a new three-year contract that made him the highest-paid defensive end in the

neg: Stephen Curry seem more attainable for younger fans of the NBA. Curry's jersey was the top seller in the NBA for the 2015–16 and 2016–17 NBA seasons. ESPN has ranked Curry among the most famous international athletes, while "Forbes" has ranked him among the world's highest-paid celebrities for his endorsements. Monte Poole of NBC Sports found Curry to be "the most human of superstars," with a childlike aura to him when he plays with success. His fanbase ranges from very young children to the elderly, and casual or committed fans enjoy his style of play. Poole stated that "the joy factor exponentially

neg: Rob Pelinka contract for $989,000 with a team option for the third year. However, his market value was much higher than that after two seasons in the NBA. Supposedly, Cleveland general manager Jim Paxson agreed not to exercise the team's option after Boozer promised to resign with the Cavs for a long term, six-year-$41 million contract. But once the team option expired, Boozer signed with the Utah Jazz for $68 million, an offer the Cavaliers would not match because they were over the NBA salary cap. Pelinka was attacked in the press for allowing his client to go to the highest bidder

neg: Paul Kariya campaign. After making $2.1 million the previous season, he was reportedly asking for a three-year deal worth $27 million, while the Ducks countered with five-year, $25 million and seven-year, $49 million contracts. Both sides eventually agreed on a two-year, $14 million deal in December 1997. While the initial year of the contract paid Kariya a pro-rated salary of $5.5 million (it was also agreed in contract negotiations that Kariya would donate $2 million of his first year's salary to Orange County charities), the second year of the contract paid him $8.5 million, making him the second-highest-paid player in NHL history

neg: Manfred Fischer Mitte, Austria's 3rd highest league, against FC Gleisdorf 09. After two successful seasons, he moved to third division club SC Kalsdorf. A year later he was transferred to second division club SC Wiener Neustadt, where he played 65 games in two seasons. In 2017/18 he got an offer from TSV Hartberg, who was also playing in Austrian Football Second League. TSV Hartberg got promoted in this season, which was the biggest success in the club's history. After a very successful season, SCR Altach offered him a contract until June 2020. Fischer made his debut in Austria's highest league, Austrian Football

neg: Inequality in Hollywood A Forbes article in August 2017 listed the 30 highest-paid actors and actresses of that year. The highest-paid actor, Mark Wahlberg, made $68 million. The first woman to appear on the list is Emma Stone, who ranked at the 15th highest paid with $26 million. These facts show the highest-paid actor earned more than 2.5 times than the highest-paid actress. The fourth highest-paid actress, Melissa McCarthy, earned $18 million, which ties with the 21st highest-paid actor, Chris Evans.. A study from the International Federation of Actors (FIA) found that the number of women who have an income under £6,000 is

neg: Meredith Grey Dempsey the highest-paid cast members on the show. In 2012, "Forbes" recognized Pompeo as the eighth highest-paid actress on television, with a salary of US$275,000 per episode for her role on "Grey's Anatomy". Pompeo's second contract with "Grey's Anatomy" expired after the eighth season, and speculation arose that she would be leaving subsequently. In September 2011, Pompeo reported that she is open to the idea of extending her contract, if invited. She told "TV Guide": "I would never turn up my nose at ["Grey's Anatomy"]. As long as the stories are honest and truthful, and Patrick [Dempsey] and I feel

neg: NBA salary cap extensions, but both failed to meet the criteria. The only player in the NBA who was attempting to qualify for a full 30% contract in 2013–14 was Paul George, who signed a provisional 30%/5 year contract in September 2013. George, who had made the All-NBA third team in 2012–13, qualified by again making the All-NBA third team. The 2017 CBA changed the qualification criteria for "5th Year, 30% Max" contracts. Players who come off rookie contracts at the end of the 2017–18 season, or later, must meet any of the following criteria to qualify: These criteria are identical to those

neg: Mark Termini negotiations for Klutch Sports Group and all of its NBA clients. Paul sought the help of Termini for contract negotiations, his experience, and connections with NBA executives. Termini, who specialized in contract negotiation and construction, was a key figure in the free agency process that ultimately led to the return of LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. He developed a contract negotiation strategy prior to the 2014 NBA free agency signing period that led to James signing a two-year max contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. That contract gave James more flexibility and the potential for greater earnings. Robert

neg: Kevin Nash the first to sign with the company and was offered a contract that paid him "above Sting money" (at the time, Sting was one of the highest paid wrestlers in the company and although Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and Randy Savage had been making more, Sting's contract was used as a measuring stick). Hall also informed Nash that he had been given "favored nations" status, which meant that if someone new was hired for more money, Hall's contract would increase to match that contract. Hall told Nash that because he had been the WWF Champion and the focal point of

neg: Rugby league transfer record the end of their contract without a fee being paid. As a result, transfer fees in rugby league became much more uncommon. The current record fee was paid for Sam Tomkins, for whom the New Zealand Warriors paid £700,000 to the Wigan Warriors in 2013. Rugby league transfer record The Rugby league transfer record is the highest-ever sum of money paid by a club to purchase the contract, and therefore the playing services, of another club's player. It has been re-set almost every decade since the sport became professional around the start of the 20th century. Between the 1930s, and

neg: Anthony Martial 1 September 2015, Martial completed a move to Manchester United for £36 million, potentially rising to £58 million, on a four-year contract with the option of another year. This was the highest transfer fee paid for a teenager, breaking the previous record of £27 million United paid for Luke Shaw a year earlier, and that Paris Saint-Germain had paid for Marquinhos in 2013. United paid £36 million up front for Martial, but his contract contains three bonus clauses worth £7.2 million each, taking the potential fee to £57.6 million. The clauses each relate to certain accomplishments being achieved in the

neg: Kobi Simmons St. Mary's in the second round before losing to Xavier in the Sweet Sixteen. Simmons appeared in 37 games (19 starts) as a freshman and averaged 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23.5 minutes per game. On April 5, 2017, Simmons declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility. After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft, Simmons signed with the Memphis Grizzlies on July 1, 2017 under a two-way deal. Simmons became the first player in NBA history to officially sign a two-way contract in the league. As a result, he got

neg: Steve Kerr All-Star Game after Golden State had the best record in the conference. On April 4, the Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 123–110 to clinch home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, and Kerr got his 63rd win of the season to become the highest winning rookie head coach in NBA history, passing Tom Thibodeau and his 62 wins with the Chicago Bulls in the 2010–11 season. In the NBA Coach of the Year voting, Kerr was runner-up to Mike Budenholzer. The Warriors ultimately finished with one of the best regular seasons in NBA history, and the greatest in the team's 69-year history.

neg: Cindrich & Company where his contract was worth $7.65 million over three year. Wolford became the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL. When that contract expired in 1995, Wolford signed a four-year, $10 million with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michael Lewis’ book, , which in 2009 was made into a major motion picture starring Sandra Bullock, mentions Wolford’s landmark contract with the Indianapolis Colts. As the man who brokered the deal, Cindrich was also mentioned: Wolford’s agent, Ralph Cindrich, later said that at least four other teams had been willing to match the Colts’ offer. What had set the Colts apart from the

neg: Darius Miles Nuggets, which equalled the eighth-highest single-game output in franchise history. Late in the 2005–2006 season, Miles severely injured his right knee. Five days later, on April 15, 2006, he played in his 40th and last game of the season. He missed the entire 2006–07 and 2007–08 NBA seasons due to microfracture surgery to repair his injury. In an effort to shed Miles's $18 million contract, the Portland Trail Blazers petitioned the NBA and the NBA Players Association in March 2008 to provide an independent doctor to decide whether Miles could play again. The examination determined that Miles' knee injury was

neg: Horace Jenkins rookies in the NBA, and his life story was the subject of a short presentation narrated by Jamie Foxx, on ABC, during the 2005 NBA Finals. Jenkins took the long route to the NBA, working to support his family, and then playing in Europe, before signing his first NBA contract, at the age of 29. In 2005, Jenkins signed a contract with the Israeli team Hapoel Jerusalem, who had gotten sponsored by billionaire Arkadi Gaydamak shortly before. He quickly became the star of the team (rivaling the former star from 2 years prior, Will Solomon, who played for their arch

neg: Hakeem Olajuwon final All-NBA Team. However, they lost in the first round again, this time to the Lakers. After the season, Pippen was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Houston began to rebuild, bringing in young guards Cuttino Mobley and 2000 NBA co-Rookie of the Year Steve Francis. On August 2, 2001, after refusing a $13 million deal with the Rockets, Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors for draft picks (the highest of which was used by Houston to draft Boštjan Nachbar at #15 in the 2002 NBA draft), with the player having a three-year contract that would give him $18

neg: 2011 NBA lockout one player and remove him from the team's salary cap. The player could be claimed off waivers by the highest bidder; the waiving team would be responsible for the remaining salary without it counting against their cap. In a rule dubbed the "Derrick Rose Rule" after the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner, a player finishing his rookie contract could be re-signed at up to 30% of his team's salary cap—an increase from the previous CBA's 25%—if he was either a two-time All-Star starter, twice voted All-NBA Team, or won an MVP award. The maximum salary for a player

neg: John Tavares 2018 it was announced Tavares signed a seven-year, $77 million contract with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Tavares cited Toronto's chances as a Stanley Cup contender, as well as living out his childhood dream to play for the hometown Maple Leafs, as his rationale for signing the contract. Tavares rejected higher paying offers in favour of joining the Maple Leafs, such as the San Jose Sharks, one of the six teams vying for Tavares' services, who offered a seven-year, $91 million contract. The San Jose offer would have made Tavares the highest paid player in the NHL. In his debut

neg: Manny Ramirez offered Ramirez a seven-year, $119 million contract. While this would have made Ramirez the highest-paid player in baseball, the deal was rejected by Ramirez and his agent, Jeff Moorad, who were seeking a ten-year, $200 million contract. Ramirez was reportedly pursued by the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, but in December agreed to an eight-year, $160 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, with $20 million options for 2009 and 2010, pushing the total value of the contract to $200 million for 10 years. Ramirez immediately delivered for the Red Sox, hitting .408 in April 2001. He had another

neg: Gerry McNamara five games, It is estimated he was paid $90,000 for that one minute. While he was in Greece, McNamara was drafted in the sixth round of the Continental Basketball Association draft by the Albany Patroons on September 26, 2006. The Patroons held McNamara's rights until 2008. McNamara reached a contract settlement and left the team and returned to the United States in November 2006. On December 12, 2006, in an attempt to boost his chances of playing in the NBA, McNamara signed with the Bakersfield Jam, an NBA Development League team located in Bakersfield, California. In doing so, he gave

neg: Sean Payton was set to take effect. On April 9, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (the same individual who handed down the suspension) denied his appeal; his suspension began on April 16. Goodell reinstated Payton on January 22, 2013. Payton is under contract with the Saints at least until the end of the 2020 season. A previously agreed-upon extension of his contract through 2015 was voided by the NFL. This left his status after the 2012 season unclear until December of that year, when he agreed to a five-year contract that made him the highest paid coach in the history of the NFL.

neg: Dikembe Mutombo his feats, "Sporting News" named him as one of the "Good Guys in Sports" in 1999 and 2000, and in 1999, he was elected as one of 20 winners of the President's Service Awards, the nation's highest honor for volunteer service. In 2004, he participated in the Basketball Without Borders NBA program, where NBA stars like Shawn Bradley, Malik Rose and DeSagana Diop toured Africa to spread the word about basketball and to improve the infrastructure. He paid for uniforms and expenses for the Zaire women's basketball team during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. Mutombo is a spokesman

neg: Charles Barkley Auburn retired Barkley's No. 34 jersey on March 3, 2001. In 2010, Barkley admitted that he asked for, and had been given, money from sports agents during his career at Auburn. Barkley called the sums he had requested from agents as being "chump change", and went on to say, "Why can't an agent lend me some money and I'll pay him back when I graduate?" According to Barkley, he paid back all of the money he had borrowed after signing his first NBA contract. Barkley left before his final year at Auburn and made himself eligible for the 1984 NBA

neg: Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada Buffalo Bills, NBA's New Orleans Pelicans). The NHL has the largest multiples between the highest-value and lowest-value teams, with the New York Rangers worth 6.5 times the Florida Panthers. Recent expansion franchises have commanded huge entry fees, which represent the price the new team must pay to gain its share of the existing teams' often guaranteed revenue streams. The Houston Texans paid $700 million to join the NFL in 2002. By comparison, the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets) paid $300 million to join the NBA. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays (originally Devil Rays) paid $130 million each to

neg: Nathaniel Clifton contract with an NBA team. On April 25, 1950 the 1950 NBA draft was held; Clifton became the first African-American player to be drafted by the NBA before Chuck Cooper second and Earl Lloyd, (May 24) the third to sign an NBA contract after Harold Hunter (April 26), who was cut in training camp. He played his first game for the New York Knicks on November 4, four days after the debut of Washington Capitols player Earl Lloyd, the first black player to appear in an NBA game. Already 27 years old when he made his debut, Clifton in his