Some of the league’s best young players talked to the National Basketball Players Association on Friday about creating an insurance system financed by the league that would protect them in case of career-threatening injuries when play resumes in Orlando, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Sources tell Wojnarowski that Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, Kyle Kuzma, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were part of a call with NBPA executive director Michele Roberts and senior counsel Ron Klempner. All five players will be eligible for rookie-scale extensions this offseason, and they want the union to negotiate insurance policies with the NBA that would protect their future earnings.
[RELATED: Players Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions In 2020 Offseason]
Players in general believe they’re facing a higher-than-normal risk of serious injury after not being able to play for more than three months. Adebayo, Fox, Kuzma, Mitchell and Tatum are hoping their combined voices will help win protections for players on all 22 teams involved in the restart.
The league has been in talks with the union about providing some form of protection for players who are either injured or suffer severe cases of coronavirus during the games in Orlando, according to sources. Negotiations are continuing on possible alterations to the Collective Bargaining Agreement before play resumes.
Sources estimate to Wojnarowski that policies for players on the brink of a maximum extension could cost up to $500K to protect them through the end of the playoffs. He adds that apart from a career-ending incident, it would be difficult to prove that any injury is directly responsible for a reduction in future earnings.
The insurance you get is the absurd amount of money you get paid to play a game. If you don’t want to play, someone else will.
You don’t seem to understand how insurance works. Someone else won’t get to fill in and produce at the same level as Donovan Mitchell. In these abnormal circumstances its fair for extension eligible players to have something to fall back on.
You don’t seem to understand the point of the comment. Also, the nba is closer to the wwe than any real sports league, they don’t talanted players, they just use nonsensical rules and “officials” to manipulate the game. But, your right. One of these guys getting sick and not being able to play a game would be far more devastating than the actual critical human beings who risk life everyday for a garbage paycheck so you can have electricity and running water. Where is the insurance so these guys can also get paid even if they get sick?
If Knicks offer 4-years 108 million plus injury insurance to Christian Wood, should Pistons match the offer?
This is the most expensive Wood ever.
Wood went undrafted in 2015. He was cut by four teams in his career.
These are guys salary for next year
Harrison Barnes – 22 million
Buddy Hield – 24 million
Julius Randle – 19 million
D’Angelo Russell – 28 million
Kevin Love – 30 million
Way off topic despite randomly tossing in the phrase “injury insurance”.
Wood career average per game
9.5 points
4.8 rebounds
0.6 assists
0.4 steals
0.7 blocks
Both Andrew Wiggins and Christian Wood were born in 1995.
Wiggins went #1 overall pick
Wood went undrafted
ok?
And wiggins is still way better than woods will ever be. Half of a mediocre season on a terrible team doesn’t make you good.
Knicks are trying to steal Wood from Pistons
Wood Is young, has trade value
Can’t these guys afford their own insurance?
Do you get insurance through your employer?
To his point it is very common for college football players that expect to be high draft picks to take out their own insurance with Lloyd’s of London to protect them against an injury
I get health insurance, but that’s not what this is. This is Lloyd’s of London type insurance. My employer doesn’t offer that. If yours does, apparently your job is better than mine.
Maybe the NBA can offer the players 4 or 5 different insurance plans for the players to choose from.
Then split the cost of the plans with the players.
Sure seems workable enough.
Outrageously ridiculous! They will be as prepared as ever after the training camp! Just play & stop with all the non-sense… or better quit on your team & don’t turn up in Orlando & then see if you get all the $$$ that you expect. Funny to see all these guys saying that meanwhile the best player of their draft, Collins, ain’t asking for it… I know he ain’t going to the “bubble” but he has had a better season than all of those guys, that’s for sure!
Please tell me that I misunderstood you when you said that John Collins is the best player from the 2017 draft. Please tell me I’m reading that wrong.
He’s a good player, but let’s be serious here. He’s not nearly as good as Jayson Tatum, and you can argue that Bam is better too.
Also, I’d have to imagine that the reason John Collins isn’t one of the players asking for insurance is because his team is one of the eight that isn’t making the bubble. So there’s that too.
Blue Cross Blue Shield. Problem solved.
crazy. im sick of seeing people take advantage of the butterfly affect. its just like saying that the new playoffs in any sport will affect who wins the championships. suggesting any injury sustained during the new playoffs wouldnt have happened otherwise is just stupid.
As I see it, the risk goes both ways with the NBA’s system of guaranteed contracts. Ask the Wizards about John Wall’s contract. If you want insurance AND guaranteed contracts, that’s kind of suspenders and a belt imho. If this is your walk year, well, hope you saved and invested some into a rainy day fund. If not, get a job like the rest of us. Just like the team owners are not guaranteed a profit, players should not be guaranteed a career. Seems they can buy their own policies. It also is a stretch to talk about future earnings. None of us has control over future earnings, even trust fund kids who get hit by market downturns outside their control.
Player insurance is paid by teams. So far as I know, the league should not be insuring players.
I would be surprised if the Celtics get a full roster to show up, with Tatum, Brown & Hayward all of questionable courage and an owner willing to accept political passes.
Walker & Smart should be well-repaired, but the Caltics should not be obstacles to the Bucks or Raptors.
You have it. It’s called NBA contract .