Forget that Jackie Robinson crap. This man is risking his career, family and life. I very much respect a man who will throw tens of millions of dollars away over his convictions. He will be hounded out of the NBA.
“....who will throw tens of millions of dollars...”
Don’t feel too bad for him. When you consider the average person in the US makes around $2.7M in a lifetime, he already has over $4M in the bank of the first year of a guarenteed 4 year deal that goes up. And that is just the base salary, no incentives. Next year it goes up to $7,362,566 and his cap hits the exact same. So, over the four year time frame, no matter what, he will earn around $22 million. That’s 10 times the amount a normal person earns in a lifetime of labor. Unless the Magic offer him a buyout deal he wants. But to be honest, they probably won’t as that money is nothing unless they run into a player that they have to lower their cap for.
Many people don’t understand the amounts of money athletes make. And the entertainment world is the same. When Mike Eisner came over from Paramount to be the CEO of Disney, his initial base contract was for $200M. Most people don’t understand what that type of money is. And to show a little more, he had it deferred to the end of the year for tax purposes. He had a fortune already in the bank. He could wait.
Magic Johnson’s contract with the Lakers, which has grown over the years, was originally for $1M a year for 25 years. He was in the league for 13 years as a player so half the contract was paid after he left.
Ridiculous amounts isn’t it. So don’t run to the internet to start a fund for Isaac....he really doesn’t need it. I hope he heals at least enough to walk and enjoy life without pain. He does have some intestinal fortitude.
rwood