NBA World Tour: Why David Stern Should Be Concerned with NBA Players on Tour
NBA superstars are embarking on a world tour that accrues millions of dollars, while NBA teams sit at home, hemorrhaging money and focusing on the power struggle ensuing with the NBA lockout. Think Stern or the owners have the most power in the NBA lockout? Think again.
The NBA needs its players more than players need the NBA. Players going on the NBA World Tour include, but aren't limited to, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant.
Fox reports that they'll be paid between $500,000 and $1,000,000 with the bulk of the proceeds going to charity.
This isn't about the money, though and it's ironically not even about basketball. The players may not know it, but they are taking another step towards showing the owners that the players are self-sufficient. The lockout could last forever and players wouldn't starve.
The NBA lockout is completely different than the NFL lockout. The opportunities for NFL players to make money were restricted to the league. The owners have them in the palm of their hand, which made negotiating difficult.
Such is not the case with the NBA. While Stern can play Grinch and take away Christmas games or do away with an entire season, he'll never have the upper hand over the players.
Basketball will go on, lockout or no lockout. Obviously the players, fans and owners want to see the players on an NBA floor far more than they want to see their favorite player in the NBA World Tour, a streetball event or on a team overseas. Moves like this bridge the gap between the billionaire owners and players who they've made superstars.
Stern can pretend like he's not overly concerned with players tapping into lucrative ventures like this during the lockout, but it's got to be alarming for him.
