Steph Curry says NBA players making $70,000,000 can still be underpaid, because they’re prohibited from earning equity in the teams whose value they help create “I think because the way the CBA is structured right now, we can’t participate in equity. And that’s a big deal because it is... a partnership with ownership. It’s a partnership with the league.” “We’re on the short term of that revenue. Those numbers sound crazy, but what the league is doing from whatever era you want to compare it to now is probably 10x that.” “The idea that we can’t participate in equity while we’re playing is part of why I would say, yes, we are underpaid. Because you want to be able to participate in that rise.” “I know we’re blessed to be in a position where we’re playing basketball for a living and these are the type of checks that people are earning.” “But hopefully sooner than later those rules change a little bit so players can participate more in the upside of team equity, league valuations and all that type stuff. Just because I think we deserve it.”show more

Highest paid generation of athletes and they still gotta bitch

They ARE participating in the increase in valuations by receiving higher paychecks as the valuations increase. Their paychecks wouldn't increase if the valuation of the teams wasn't increasing.

Love Steph but not sure about this concept, players are employees of the organization.

@StephenCurry30 nah but you are wrong tho. A player having equity in a team is a total conflict of interest. The league is like the union, and you sign up to play in the league, not a team. Also, your wealth is generated from being the athlete. Don't get greedy. Be grateful.

Wouldn't this make trades impossible? If Curry had an equity stake in the Warriors, then was traded to the Suns, wouldn't that be a huge conflict of interest? Would he put a dagger in the Warriors during the playoffs?

This is like saying you should get equity in Olive Garden cuz you bus tables

What an entitled ass…thought LeBron was bad. He makes over $100mm per year with endorsements and hes complainimg that it’s not enough???

He skipped economics at Davidson

My heart is bleeding that you only get $70 million

An owner has little incentive to give equity.

$70M sounds crazy until you see ownership upside

So, he’s going to give some of his money to the lower tier players to help them out…right?

So what happens when the player misses 70 percent of the year. They dont have to give back any of the gaurantee money. So thats the deal

You didn't buy the team in the beginning so you aren't entitled to equity in ownership. You are providing a service and getting compensated verrry well. Stop crying.

No matter what he says he is an employee and employers don’t give equity to employees.

When he’s an owner will him and LeBron say stupid things like this? Stay tuned?

What happens when you get traded to another team? What happens when you’re playing against a team you are a minority owner of? This is very easy to say but very hard to implement without massive issues

He’s basically working for slave wages.

wtf is he even saying…I love Steph but he’s definitely wrong with this

So an owner invests billions on a team has to deal with the day to day operations you make 70mil and you want a cut because you are under paid😂ok so should the fan that’s paying thousands per ticket to pay the team and your salary also get a stake in the team🤨 greed is a sin

If equity is given, than it needs to be smaller contracts. Similar to acting where some of the greats can take less money up front and get paid by points on the back end.

This might sound crazy, but every other multi-billion dollar company (eg Apple) compensates their top employees with equity (shares in the company)

Salary Cap Circumvention: If teams could offer players equity ownership as part of their compensation, wealthy franchise owners could bypass the NBA's strict salary cap rules. A team could theoretically sign a superstar to a modest cash contract while supplementing it with a massive, highly lucrative equity stake in the organization, creating an unfair bidding war that heavily favors big-market or ultra-wealthy ownership groups. Competitive Balance & Market Disparities: Franchise valuations vary wildly, and the ability to hand out ownership shares would give certain franchises an unfair recruiting advantage. Small-market teams or owners with less liquid wealth would struggle to compete with a franchise offering lucrative equity packages to lure top-tier free agents.  Dual-Role Conflicts of Interest: An active player holding equity would sit on both sides of the negotiating table. As an owner, they would have a financial interest in suppressing overall player salaries, cutting costs, and maximizing team profitability—directly conflicting with their role as a union member fighting for higher player revenue shares. (A historical precedent of this conflict occurred when Michael Jordan had to sell his minority ownership stake in the Washington Wizards before coming out of retirement to play for them).  The Strict Enforcement of the CBA:

He should buy a business. And then decide for himself if he wants to give up equity to his employees.

I mean its crazy listening to a multi-hundred millionaire complaining that they cannot be billionaires. Literally no one restrict you from doing business on the side or investing your multi millions. You don't own equity because you DON'T participate in the business management of the team. How is this even a conversation.

Steph’s pov is completely different than 95% of the NBA workforce. How many Steph’s are there? Like 3-5? Most of the players don’t add that kind of value. This is a blind spot.

Boo fucking hoo Steph…. These $70 million oppressed players are just unbelievably narcissistic.

Curry has a legitimate point that players help create franchise value and don’t participate directly in the equity appreciation. But calling that “underpaid” muddies the argument. NBA players already negotiate for roughly half of basketball-related revenue through the CBA and receive enormous guaranteed compensation without having to buy the franchise, absorb ownership losses, fund facilities, or carry the long-term capital risk. If players want equity participation, fine—negotiate for it. But equity is not some unpaid wage owners have been withholding. It’s a different asset class with different risk. Saying a $70M salary makes you “underpaid” because you don’t also own part of the company is rhetorically weak even if the underlying equity discussion is worth having.

What? He wants part ownership without the responsibility of being an owner. Just the financial part of it. Shut up and play basketball. You make more than 99% of the country

This mothafucka complaining about 70 million, while magic or bird were making shit $$ back in the day… thanks to them the @NBA is what it is today! Be grateful guys.. you are “employees”!!

Because he an employee. Not an owner. Holy stupid Batman

He forgets or disregards pretty much all businesses that are big, valuable and successful had many people sacrificing for years to make it and build the brand. This shows his character is fabricated and his viewpoints are myopic. Narcissism comes from power/money often sadly.

Don’t players receive ~50% of league revenue? Isn’t that an equity-like feature that the players negotiated already?

Take your $70M pool it with LeBron's $50M and KD's $45 on top of Booker's $70M AND CREATE YOUR OWN FUCKING LEAGUE, where you give away equity to tomorrow's players. Otherwise, STFU and cash those massive checks.