NBA Players Don't Play to Win, They Play for the Money

Do NBA players these days play to win, or has money and fame taken over professional basketball?

The game of basketball will never again be what it used to be. There will never again be players like Pete Maravich, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, or Michael Jordan. These players played simply for the fact that they loved the game of basketball. They came out every night and gave everything they could to win. They played with heart. They played with emotion. They weren't complaining about how many millions of dollars they thought they deserved, they just wanted to play. 

Today's generation of players is all about the money. When a player's contract is up after the season, that player usually has the best season of their career. Why? Because they are trying to earn a new contract next season, with an added bonus.

Look at Baron Davis last year. He was appearing to be near the end of his career and had not played a full season in the past seven years. Davis comes out in his contract year and plays all 82 games. He leads his team in one of the biggest first round upsets in NBA history, and earns himself a 5-year, $65 million contract with the L.A Clippers. So far this year, Davis has only been scoring 16 points per game, his lowest average since his sophomore year in the league.

When you finally think it can't get any worse than this, players like Josh Childress and Brandon Jennings, give up on the NBA and move to Europe to make a few more bucks. 

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dirk Nowitzi are among other names debating the transition overseas for more money.  It should be a privilege for these players to play with the best competition around the world in the NBA.

You will never be seen as one of the best if you are not playing with the best. 

I know there are exceptions out there, and one of those exceptions is one my favorite players, Kevin Garnett. Garnett comes out every single game and plays it like it's his last.  He plays with heart, passion, and a love for the game. Garnett played with a losing team for over a decade. Did he give up? Did he consider moving to Europe? No, he never gave up. He always worked hard. He always wanted to win. His hard work paid off, and Kevin Garnett won a championship ring last year as a team leader of the Boston Celtics. 

People have been wondering why NBA viewer ratings have been plummeting now for the past several years. It's because fans are getting sick and tired of watching these "big shot" players come out and not play up to their full potential.

I would much rather turn the channel to a college game and actually watch players who are playing to win. They actually show some emotion, and you can tell the difference in the players faces of which team won and which team lost. Maybe the only possible solution to this problem is to expose it.