OKC’s Chris Paul: Nobody Talks About Money

It’s hard to imagine that earning ridiculous sums of money would be a problem for an athlete like Chris Paul. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard has found that money causes some unexpected problems.

Firstly, Chris Paul is struggling to find a new NBA team due to his massive wages. Chris Paul is due to earn $124 million over the next three seasons. As a result, moving away from Oklahoma will be difficult despite the fact that both parties want it. 

It’s an issue we see throughout top level sport from the NFL, to the Premier League, to the NBA. Players get one big payday only to find later they are surplus to requirements, with wages that are too prohibitive for teams which would otherwise be a good fit for them.

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Despite the fact that money plays an increasingly influential role in the NBA, the players don’t talk about it. Certainly not in the locker room anyway, according to Paul.

“I think the reason why I’m so passionate about this is because I’m finishing up my 14th year in the NBA, and I’ve been around long enough to realize that guys in our league, we talk about everything in the locker room except for finance, except for money. Nobody talks about money, because it’s one of those uncomfortable things.”

Despite his current issues, Paul is one of the lucky ones. He says that without guidance an NBA career can be wasted, and the money along with it.

Read: Thunder Struggling to Find a Trade Suitor for Chris Paul

“I’ve heard so many stories. That’s why I try to talk to guys because it happens. This is a short career. In the grand scheme of life, this is a short career. You try to maximize it as much as possible. There’s the rookie transition program and all these different people that try and help you. But when you come in the NBA at 18 years old, you’re just thinking about basketball, basketball, basketball. You don’t even understand what health insurance is.”