Oscar Robertson cites contracts worth $50 million/year to chastize superstars for load management: "Players owe it to fans"

Former NBA star Oscar Robertson had something to say about players who are getting deals that pay them $50 million yearly. Robertson isn't a significant advocate of load management and believes that fans deserve to see their favorite players in action. According to him, players owe it to the fans and should be one of the priorities of a player.

NBA salaries have changed over the years. With the increase in revenue and fame, the league has rewarded its players with big paydays. Stars aren't the only ones who get to savor the moment, however, as a few role players also take home significant salaries.

While the salary increase has benefitted the league, and mostly, the players, a few stars have disappointed fans. This is due to the decreasing amount of games being played by some superstars. The decision is often defended by stating that organizations are protecting their "investments" in the modern NBA.

Load management is the most common method, which is selecting a few off-games in the season to prevent the stars from getting injured or hurt.

Former NBA stars, like Robertson, haven't been fond of load management. The former star for the Milwaukee Bucks appeared in "All the Smoke," hosted by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. In the episode of the podcast, the "Big O" shared his thoughts on big-contract players who exercise load management.

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"I think if you’re making $50 million a year, there’s no such thing as load management. I think sometimes players owe it to the fans who come to see you play," Robertson said.

Five players in the league will earn at least $50 million next season. Among the five players, Joel Embiid and Bradley Beal are the only players who have not reached the 70-game mark last season. Mostly, it's because of injuries and a few games skipped because of load management.

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Who are the players that Oscar Robertson is referring to?

In his guest appearance, Oscar Robertson didn't mention any names when he talked about players earning $50 million a season. However, fans were aware of the players that Robertson referred to. Here are some of the players that fans named after the Hall of Famer talked about modern NBA contracts.

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"Cooked Kawhi," one fan quickly referenced Kawhi Leonard.

"Ben Simmons seeing this rn 😅," another fan brought up Ben Simmons.

Leonard played 68 games last season, the most since he joined the LA Clippers in 2019. But there were games that he had to skip because of the nagging injuries. Simmons, on the other hand, only played 15 games before he was shut down for the rest of last year's campaign.

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