The Boston Celtics made history by signing star Jaylen Brown to a massive contract. The mega extension is over $300 million for five seasons, which is the highest ever offered to any player in the NBA. Shaquille O’Neal earned almost the same amount in his entire NBA career, giving us a better understanding of how big the contract is. But it wouldn’t have been possible had Jerry ‘The Logo’ West not done what he did during the 1964 All-Star Game.

The story involved the then-Lakers owner, who was known for moving the franchise to LA. It was about the fair-pay to athletes long before the record-breaking extension of Brown. According to Jerry West, the Lakers owner warned him and his teammates.

All-Star game strike: Jerry West’s game-changing move for athletes’ rights

Jerry West played 14 seasons in the NBA and had a lasting impact on the game. The prime example of his greatness is the fact that the league decided to keep the player’s silhouette as the logo, which is still used today. Moreover, he is the only player to win an NBA Finals MVP award despite being on the losing side. But what is not well known is his stance in 1964, which paved the way for athletes of today.

NBA stars are some of the most handsomely paid athletes on the planet. And a lot of the credit should go to one instance, which involved Jerry West. The league was going?to?televise?the?1964?All-Star Game?for?the?first?time. West recalled, “The players got together and said, ‘We’re not gonna play this game unless you recognize us as someone that can bargain with you.'”

Then Lakers owner Robert Short reportedly went on to threaten Jerry West and his team. “The owner of the Lakers then came into our locker room. Elgin Baylor and I were on the All-Star team and here’s his words. His words were the following: if you don’t play, you’re never going to play another basketball game again.”

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West said that this moment, along with Oscar Robertson’s lawsuit, opened the gates for the young stars of today. “I’m thrilled for them… but they must realize that only 440 of them are going to be involved in the NBA and really a chance at this piece of pie. It’s a profession today. It’s not just something that people did because they like to compete.”

The owners had to accept the demands. This led to the recognition of the first players’ union establishment. Treating and paying future athletes right made their life much easier. Robert Short sold the Lakers soon after this incident.

Minneapolis Lakers to Los Angeles: A profitable move for Robert Short

Former Lakers owner Robert Short made a major move that made him billions. The Lakers, which was first a franchise of the city of Minneapolis between 1947-1960, was known as Minneapolis Lakers. But due to fewer people showing up to the games, Short decided to move the team to the city of Angels, Los Angeles. This move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles gave great returns to Short.

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The attendance and revenues skyrocketed. The new Los Angeles Lakers resumed their winning ways and, to date, have won 17 NBA championships. Short sold the Lakers to the Canadian businessman Jack Kent Goode in 1965, who further sold the franchise to Dr. Jerry Buss in 1979 and the rest is history.

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