Although basketball is not a high-risk sport, players are still injured, sometimes seriously, on a regular basis. NBA players are well compensated, but who pays for their medical expenses, and what happens to their pay if they are injured?
Players are the most valuable assets of any NBA team, but they are sometimes viewed as disposable and are dropped if they sustain too many injuries. It’s easy to lose one’s spot on the team if one misses too much playing time.
When a player breaks a bone, is carted off the court, or is checked for possible concussions, they are thankfully protected in terms of paying medical bills and being compensated for their inability to play.
All NBA contracts are either completely or partially guaranteed against injury (some types of contracts are only fully guaranteed if the player is on a roster as of 10 January each season), so as long as the injury occurred while playing or training (i.e., not in an activity outside of the game that is specifically prohibited in the player’s contract), the player will be paid for the rest of the season.
When NBA players step onto the court, they run the risk of getting hurt. Do their salaries suffer as a result of their injuries?
Do NBA Players Still Get Paid if They Get Hurt?
Yes, most basketball contracts include a complete injury guarantee. However, this only applies if the injury was caused by sports. Furthermore, the contract specifies a few activities that are prohibited, and if the player violates the terms, the scenario may change.
They will be compensated as long as they are injured without violating any of the terms of their contract. At the time of signing, some contracts are not completely guaranteed.
Non-guaranteed contract players who are still on the team’s roster on January 10 of each league year will receive a guaranteed contract for the remainder of the season.
While the NBA provides entertainment for fans and encourages competition, it is primarily a business.
Teams are constructed to win and profit, and the great players who make up those teams are commodities. When one of those athletes is injured, the entire organization is harmed.
The majority of NBA players will sustain an injury at some point during their careers. That is why many athletes demand contract clauses that guarantee remuneration even if they are injured.
Those on injured reserve are paid in full for the season, but they are not allowed to dress again that season, whether they recover or not.
The NBA currently has a roster limit of 15 players, and injured players are placed on injured reserve so that their valuable positions can be filled by others.
NBA Contracts and Injuries
A player’s signing of an NBA contract is likely to be the most exciting moment of his or her career. They’ve finally reached the pinnacle of the sport.
But what if they are injured? Is there any way to find out if they’re still getting paid? As the saying goes, it’s all in the fine print.
Legal jargon in contracts can be confusing, but Bleeding Green Nation has simplified and broken it down to make it easier to understand. Player contracts commonly include salary, guarantees, options, and bonuses.
The annual salary of a player is the amount of money he or she earns. So, if a three-year deal worth $30 million is signed, it could mean the player will be paid $10 million per year, or it could be structured so that the player will be paid less in the first year and more each year after that.
It all boils down to the team’s salary cap and how much risk they’re willing to take that year.
The presence or absence of a guarantee provision is the most important factor for the player. A guarantee simply means that the athlete will be paid XX amount of money regardless of whether or not he or she is injured.
The majority of NBA contracts are fully guaranteed, and you will be compensated if you suffer a career-ending injury. Almost all NBA contracts include coverage for injuries that keep a player out for the season or end his or her career.
Insurance will cover a portion of the contract, allowing the team to avoid taking the full financial hit. A team can apply for a special exemption to remove a contract from the salary cap if a player suffers a season-ending or career-ending injury.
Exception for Disabled Players
A team may replace a season-ending injury with one player earning up to 50% of the injured player’s current salary, up to the average player salary. In the following situations, the Disabled Player Exception is available:
The team has 45 days to utilize the Exception if the player is hurt between 07/01 and 11/30 and is determined to be out for that season; or the team has until October 1 to use the Exception if the player is hurt between December 1 and June 30 and is set to be out for the following season.
During the pandemic, the NBA also paid the players’ salaries. The amount paid, on the other hand, was reduced. On their bi-monthly payments, the players’ salaries were partially reduced by 25%.
CBA Offers Some Security, But…
Although the CBA provides some protection for players, it is also critical that they protect themselves through the individual contracts they sign with teams.
Because the NBA is a business run by extremely wealthy people, players must ensure that they have legal rights if they are injured, as they may be viewed as less profitable or non-performing assets by the organization, and may even be discarded.
Players can include a guarantee clause in their contracts that guarantees them a certain amount of money if they are injured. They will be covered if they sustain “basketball-related injuries.”
The CBA stipulates that the club must pay the players while they are recovering from their injuries and continue to pay them for the year in which the injury occurred.
The amount of money paid to a player while injured or recovering from an injury is determined by the terms of the contract.
If the players are injured while exercising at a facility not under the supervision of the team, the injuries will be classified as “non-basketball injuries,” and they will not be covered by the NBA’s insurance. When it comes to non-basketball injuries, it is up to the team to decide whether or not the player should be compensated.
The NBPA’s role
Being members of the National Basketball Players Association, or NBPA, is one way they are protected. Being a member of the players’ union ensures that they are covered by collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), which provide them with certain medical benefits.
When a player is injured, the club doctor evaluates him to see if he is physically capable of playing football.
The CBA guarantees him the right to seek a second opinion if he so desires, and that the club will cover the cost. He can select the surgeon for the procedure after consulting with the club physician if an operation is required. The CBA stipulates that the club is responsible for all medical expenses.
NBA Players Are Disposable
One of the most heartbreaking things an NBA player can go through is being labeled as a “injury” prone athlete.
Injuries and lost playing time on a regular basis are a surefire way to be cut from the team. Given that most players have worked their entire lives to make it to the NBA, an injury could be devastating not only to their mental health but also to their financial well-being.
Greg Oden, a former NBA player, told Bleacher Report about his injury experience in the league. He claimed that when he returned from knee surgery, he entered the locker room to find his jersey worn by another player.
According to Oden, he vividly recalls arriving at the institution for therapy a week later. He noticed another player putting on his jersey as he entered the locker room to change his clothes. The shirt, on the other hand, was no longer mine; it had morphed into his. He was just a number that was quickly consumed and discarded.
While this is one of the more serious cases, it demonstrates how disposable the majority of NBA players are in the eyes of the company. That is why athletes must begin with their contracts to protect themselves.
