Tunnel Vision: Steph's 100-Foot Shot (Yes, it was real!)

Stephen Curry returned to the NBA Friday after a 5-game injury. But the biggest action of the night seems to have happened before the game. During the pre-game warm-up Curry sank such an outlandish/ ridiculous/insane long-range trick shot, that it left even Caitlin Clarke wondering if it was AI generated. It wasn't! (Though in the past there have been some confusion). Here's the shot, from different angles:

Oh, in the actual game, Curry went to score an impressive 39-points but it was still not enough to win as the Warriors went down 120-127 to the Timberwolves. But who really cares, right?

After the game reporters inevitably asked Curry about the 100-foot shot. “That’s the second one I made,” he said. “I thought it was going to be a better night.” At least we were entertained.

A Sky Full of Stars: Who Gets Paid More?

Sports is big business. And the two biggest sports in the world are soccer (by far) and basketball. So naturally, the biggest names in these sports would be expected to be richly (ludicrously?) remunerated. But who's paid more, soccer or NBA superstars?

Well, on average, NBA players are better paid. The average NBA salary is $8 million/year compared to ~$4 million for players in the English Premier League (EPL)--the world's richest soccer league. But at the very top soccer players have the edge (click to enlarge):

                                    Source: RadioTimes.com and ESPN
 
The top 10 NBA players pull in, on average, $41.8 million/year. While the top 10 most expensive soccer players bring in, on average, $40.7 million/year--over $1 million a year less. However, the NBA is more egalitarian or sorts at the top (yes, that's an oxymoron) with Steph Curry (#1) and Klay Thompson (#10) making relatively similar amounts, $46 million and $38 million respectively. By comparison the difference between Messi's (#1) and Lewandowski's (#10) salaries is huge: $69 million vs $25 million. Seems odd, for the "people's game." But that's business.

MJ Still Holds the Highest Pay of Any NBA Player

Unlike in soccer, there's far less (little really) debate in basketball about the "best ever". Michael Jordan is easily consider by most basketball fans as that player. He not only lifted the Chicago Bulls to 6 championships but also globalized the NBA, bringing it billions of revenues in the 1980s and 1990s. So it's interesting to compare his salary with that of today's superstars.

Well, this article does just that. And MJ's 1998 salary of $33 million or $55 million in current dollar keeps him ahead of today's highest paid player Stephen Curry, whose 2021 salary is $45 million. But what's remarkable is how low Jordan's pay was for many years. The Chicago Bulls and the NBA as a whole got a great deal for most of his career (click to enlarge):

Jordan played 16 seasons in the NBA, really 14 (let's not count the 2 seasons with the Wizards). Only in two of those, 1997 and 1998, did he make more than $5 million per year! Curry's been in the NBA for 13 seasons, but he's pulled down an eight figure salary in 9 of them.