Last Updated on October 18, 2020 by
Scottie Pippen is the lowest-paid player in the NBA. No one actually forced Scottie Pippen to sign a 7 year, 18 Million Dollar contract, which is considered as one of the smallest contract ever in the history of the NBA. In this blog post, we are going to talk better about Scottie Pippen, the lowest-paid NBA player, and some other NBA players who have gone broke.
Parameters | WNBA players salaries | NBA players salaries |
Minimum | $56,375 | $893,310 |
Maximum | $117,000 | $40.2 million |
In a documentary of Michael Jordan which was titled “The Last Dance” we got to know that Scottie Pippen who is considered to be the second-best player of the Chicago Bulls, and also one of the sole catalysts of the 90s dynasty with Michael Jordan was the 122nd highest-paid player in the whole NBA and the 6th highest-paid player on the team.
He was not only underpaid, he was harshly underrated. However, we loved that the documentary was clear and concise about how all of that happened. We got to know that he was not forced or pressured by anyone to sign the long term but low paying deal with the Chicago Bulls.
As a matter of fact, he even said openly that he signed the contract because it offered him and his family stability. For context, he was the sole provider and the breadwinner of his primary family and also his extended family that comprised father, an ill brother, 11 brothers, and sisters. Pippen was probably thinking of a defense-first strategy when he signed his 7-year contract.
He must have thought about getting the assured money first for an extended period of time, thinking that he could probably outplay his contract to get a rightful reward. He got it wrong totally because that’s not how sports business works, not even when a team made you sign up for a long contract, they would be in control throughout the expiration of the contract and don’t necessarily have to do anything special for you.
We all know this a very tough dynamics for athletes because their careers only last for a while so they need to make sure they squeeze out every assured money that they can. Nevertheless, you generally want to have the ability to have leverage when you do have an excellent year, you are able to negotiate a far more favorable deal.
Pro athletes go through this dilemma on a regular basis. Luckily for athletes, it is essential to note earned income via sport is not the sole manner you are able to make the bulk of the cash of yours. Just like Michael Jordan was building a big part of the overall earnings of his through endorsements, Scottie Pippen must happen to be using his brand worth to perform the same.
What Is The Lowest Salary In The NBA?
According to the NBA, a rookie makes a minimum of $893,310 to play in the league, a better scale they would possibly prefer to the five-figure deals in the NBA G-League. Although this amount depends on the team you’re playing for, it varies, and it might increase if you’re playing for the top-tier teams in the NBA.
What Is The lowest Salary In The WNBA
A WNBA player earns $56,375 as a minimum salary if she has three or more years of service. However, an average WNBA player makes around $79,000 while top players earn $117,000 at maximum.
Who Is The Poorest NBA Player?
We are going to mention some famous NBA players who want from fame and riches to being broke.
1. Antoine Walker
The first on our list is the poster boy, popularly known as Me Shimmy Shake, who had a lot to spend in his prime. And to be honest, if we were all given 108 million, some of us would be a pretty show off with it, but not to the extent of completely squandering it all to the point of having nothing.
Truly Walker was a multiple-time All-Star, and he had an NBA championship, but all that success made him go into extravagant spending escapades on women, handouts to friends and family, jewelry, cars, and clothing. Now, he’s only left with little fame, all his wealth is gone, making him gain a spot on our list of broke NBA players whole foolishly blown away their wealth. After his predicament, Walker has now taken it as his job to advise NBA players to learn from his pitfall experience.
2. Eric Williams
If you are talking about an NBA player you just wanted to cheer for, Williams was one of those players who within his twelve-year NBA career played for seven different teams. He was noted as one of the hard-working players who were ready to do what is required to do and make the most of his career. But it was only sad news to hear that even after making nearly $40 million over his twelve years of moving around through the league, Williams publicly announced that he was broke and homeless and could not keep up with the bills of his child. He made this sad announcement about three to four years ago, but today Williams now works as a volunteer for a non-profit organization, which is still good and fine, but it will never amount to the wealth he once had.
3. Derrick Coleman
Coleman was once pitched to be an NBA Megastar that would modify the way big men play the game in the league. Today, all Coleman is doing is to help distribute supplies and clean water to the needy in Flint, Michigan. Coleman’s positive attitude and approach to the game made him far from a failure during his 15 years in the NBA and he was able to ramp up a $91 million fortune. Sadly, Coleman had done some bad investments and bad business decisions in his hometown in Detroit had a lot of negative toll on his finances. In 2010, Coleman’s best intentions landed him filing for bankruptcy even if hey were made to help the Detroit economy.
4. Vin Baker
With the purpose of bridging the gap between what was supposed to be a successful Sonic future and a disgruntled Shawn Kemp, Baker was brought to Seattle. Sadly, it appeared that this was the start of his plight into self-damage even he had helped the team to three playoff appearances during his five years with the Sonics. With a whopping $100 million he made during his NBA career, plus extra endorsement deals from big companies, the 13-year veteran still got broke with a financial crisis and substance abuse that made him broke with just little pennies in his pockets.
In an effort to salvage his failing life, Baker was offered a role at a Starbucks franchise as a manager, before most recently offered a coaching role with the Texas Legends who plays in the NBA Development League with the hopes of getting back from his pitfalls.
5. Dennis Rodman
You will definitely get enough storylines about how he damaged his “worm” then you would get about his main financial crisis if you search “Dennis Rodman broke” on the internet. You just have to believe that Rodman, with all the public show-offs he makes or has made throughout his post NBA career and playing time that he has a lot of money to spend from despite his instability and questionable appearances. Rodman made about $50 million during his playing time in the NBA and some other numerous payments from social events including movies, wrestling, TV, and books. Unfortunately, the worm had a lot of battles with his demons unlike other players on our list. However, we got to know that Rodman still has some few bucks of about $500,000 to his name.
7. Jason Caffy
As far as being a victor in life, Jason Caffy has really failed since he left the league despite winning the NBA championship twice. Over the decade of his professional playing career, he made over $34 million but surprisingly the two-time NBA winner still struggled and became broke. This, although, was as a result of his women escapades which got him, eight women, to mother his ten children. Even if he’s not the only baby-maker in the history of the NBA, still Caffy is still one of those players who filed for bankruptcy and were arrested for failing to keep up with their children bills. Maybe he was hoping the mothers of his children would have good jobs to foot the child support!
7. Delonte West
What we perceived to have ended with his career was the rumors about relations with one of his teammates’ mom. While most people have only seen that part of his story, the most surprising one is that West has squandered all the $16 million he made from the NBA after suffering from bipolar disorder and manic depression. West had to look for a gig at Home Depot towards the end of his NBA career to help pay his bills.
With the bank debts racking up and his two houses seeing foreclosure, he also had to battle with his share of legal issues. We’ve heard rumors that West, after his NBA career which finished with the Texas Legends that plays in a Development League, now sleeps on a fold-out bed at one of his family member’s homes because he’s could not afford his place.
8. Eddy Curry
Alongside Tyson Chandler, Curry used to be with the Baby Bulls, the team management had hoped he will get back the squad to success. He didn’t. He used to be with the brand new York Knicks rebuilding process, one they are currently in the midst of almost a decade later on.
Unfortunately for Curry, what resulted in his fall out of prospective success was the problems with keeping the health of his. Other health problems might have come from different injuries, bus most of the health problems of his had been self-inflicted, however, in the conclusion of the NBA career, Curry, however, was able to push in seventy dollars million if he was on the floor or even in street clothes. It’s not surprising that the earnings of his have dwindled rapidly with 7 children to manage and a selection of terrible fiscal options and legitimate problems to cope with,.
Final Words
We’ve come to the end of this informative article. We hope you now know the lowest-paid NBA player and also the NBA players who went from riches to being broke. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m Alex PT. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Indiana University and have over seven years of valuable experience working in a Sports Event Management Company. I founded SportBlurb with the passion for bringing you the latest, most insightful, and engaging content in the world of sports. So, whether you’re a die-hard fan or want to stay informed, I’ve got you covered!