The San Antonio Spurs have signed their first-round selection, Victor Wembanyama, to a four-year deal. The whole arrangement, worth more than $55 million, will result in a $12 million yearly pay. Not to mention which will continue to rise until the last year. However, 39 years before Wembanyama’s selection, in 1984, the legendary Michael Jordan created history with a $6.3 million, seven-year contract offer.
39 years ago, Michael Jordan signed his rookie deal with the Bulls that got him $555,000 in the first year.
To put that into context, Victor Wembanyama will get $12,160,680 with the Spurs in one year, a 26x increase on what the greatest player of all time made.
Generational 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kJGGY8Jr9c
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 13, 2023
Jordan entered the NBA as the third overall pick in 1984. According to Spotrac, Jordan signed his rookie contract for $6.3 million with an annual salary of $455,000. If we come to calculate it, Wemby’s yearly salary of $12 million is around 26 times what the Chicago Bulls legend made.
After dominating the French LNB Pro A league, the 19-year-old prodigy is anticipated to settle the GOAT argument. He is predicted to rank higher than Michael Jordan and LeBron James following his retirement. Despite the attention, Wembanyama has remained humble through everything.
While Wembanyama will surely make a lot of money, his contract pales in comparison in terms of historical significance. Jordan’s contract was negotiated as a result of his performances at the 1984 Summer Olympics. His price increased so dramatically that the Bulls were obliged to offer him a considerable deal in September 1984.
Victor Wembanyama could hit Michael Jordan’s career earnings in 6 years
With San Antonio securing the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, it was finally Wemby time in south Texas and check-cashing time. In his 15-year NBA career, the six-time NBA champion MJ earned $93 million. Although the majority of his money came from selling sneakers later.
With Wemby making a little over $55 million in his 4-year contract and Jordan having total NBA earnings of $93 million, the French prodigy could catch that figure in almost 6 years.
Wembanyama will be eligible to sign a rookie deal for up to 25% of the salary cap in 2026. It could be 30% if he fulfills specific performance benchmarks such as All-NBA. Currently, his pay is estimated to be roughly 9% of the cap, but he is said to have a lucrative agreement with Nike already in place.
Wembanyama has been dubbed a “generational talent,” which means he has extremely high expectations of succeeding and leading Gregg Popovich’s squad back from the brink of extinction. The Spurs have previously had first-round choices and they ended up in the Hall of Fame.
His career earnings are expected to skyrocket as a result of many major extensions, and he is expected to well outpace several NBA legends in terms of cashing in.
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