I'll be the first to admit that I don't have a great grasp on the financial/contract/salary side of the NBA. But is there anything stopping 5 veterans like Shaq from coming in and signing from league min? Well..other than their own egos?
Because if I was on the end of my career and I already made more in one year than most people will make in 10 lifetimes...I'd sign up for a final ring run with the superbestfriends team and offer my services for cheap.
But then I'm not used to banking 20 mil a year either....not sure if I'd be able to feed my kids off a measley 1 million.
You never saw Shaq's divorce papers with his expenses for the month? Here's some:
• $156,116 on mortgages.
• $110,505 on vacations.
• $60,417 on gifts.
• $26,560 on baby-sitters.
• $24,300 on gasoline.
• $22,190 on maids.
• $17,220 on clothes.
• $12,775 on food.
• And the tax man gets about $500,000 a month in income taxes.
That being said, he obviously has enough in the bank, and in endorsements to take care of anything even if he wasn't paid squat for a year. But, he's an old fart and his career is over and he couldn't survive playing an entire game let alone a few quarters.