USA Today via Reuters
May 22, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to a technical foul being called on forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) as Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) prepares to make a foul shot during the third quarter in game three of the 2022 western conference finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
May 22, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to a technical foul being called on forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) as Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) prepares to make a foul shot during the third quarter in game three of the 2022 western conference finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Outspoken owners are a trademark of the NBA. Whether it is Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks or Jeanie Buss of the Lakers, they don’t shy away from expressing their thoughts. Recently, the owner of the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors paid a hefty price for speaking out.
Joe Lacob criticized the league and its luxury tax rules. Interestingly enough, the Warriors paid around $170 million in luxury tax alone for their title-winning 2021-22 season.
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Lacob said, “The hardest thing of all is navigating this luxury tax, unfortunately. I went back to New York this week for labor meetings. I’m on the committee.”
“And you know, obviously, the league wants everyone to have a chance, and right now, there’s a certain element out there that believes we ‘checkbook win’ we won because we have the most salaries on our team”, added Lacob who has 4 NBA titles to his name.
Due to his comments on a podcast, the authorities slapped a hefty fine on the Warriors owner. He was forced to pay $500,000 for making comments on confidential matters.
What is the NBA luxury tax?
The NBA luxury is set up to keep the spending by the teams in the league in check. Teams have to pay the NBA a luxury tax in case they exceed the amount set by the league in spending.
With stars like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green on the roster, the Warriors are one of the biggest spenders in the league. This is one of the reasons why they have to pay a huge luxury tax.
How did Stephen Curry and his team perform this season?
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The Golden State Warriors entered the season, looking to shut their naysayers up. Disappointments in the past couple of seasons had the fans and media writing off the team for the NBA title.
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Jun 16, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrate after beating the Boston Celtics in game six of the 2022 NBA Finals to win the NBA Championship at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
However, they looked strong all season and made their way to the finals. Stephen Curry played a major role in the Warriors winning the title this year. His efforts powered a motivated comeback by the Dubs against the Celtics during the finals.
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WATCH THIS STORY: 3 Times Ayesha Curry Caused Controversy
Curry averaged a phenomenal 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists during the 2022 NBA finals. Thanks to such superb performances, he got his much-deserved Finals MVP award.
