NBA has signed a jaw-dropping $76 billion TV rights deal. While the players are looking at fatter paychecks, Charles Barkley isn’t thrilled about the direction things are heading. In his usual no-filter style, he warned, “Once this new TV Deal kick in, we gonna have guys making 70, 80, 90, a $100 million. I would never eat again with this type of money.” According to Chuck, that much money means less motivation. And that’s where the concern begins.

Now, digging deeper, Barkley pointed out how fans are getting the short end of the stick. “When we have guys making $90 million and they’re load managing, you think the regular fan gonna be having that sh? Hell no,” he said. For Chuck, the mix of massive contracts and guys sitting out games is a slap in the face to fans who support the league. And the same debate sparked again when Kobe Bryant’s ex-teammate Sasha Vujačić weighed in on whether the triangle offense could survive in today’s game.

Continuing the conversation, Vujačić kept it real on the Out The Mud Podcast. “A hundred percent. But you know, it’s not about triangle offense or not,” he explained. What’s bothering him is how the league looks now—too much of the same. Players are running the show, inflated contracts, and not enough real basketball.

Then came the heavy hitter—Michael Jordan. Vujačić recalled a quote that stuck: “I don’t know if I’m going to quote him perfectly right now, but he said, we are making a big mistake by the time that, you know, we’re going to be out of the league, the OGs and stuff. We are paying for the potential. We’re not paying for the merit of what they are doing. So once you do that, once you get too comfortable.” That, he said, was MJ’s warning. And now? It’s playing out just like that. “A lot of people are overpaid, but God bless.”

Finally, Vujačić tied it all together. “If you don’t have the right coaches, the right mindsets… just playing politics… you’re not going to teach them anything,” he added. And that, in his view, is what’s dragging the game down—too much money, not enough mentorship.

Michael Jordan doesn’t like the NBA giving max deals to unproven stars

The NBA has become a money machine for young stars—big contracts, luxury cars, designer watches—you name it. These days, it doesn’t even take an All-Star appearance to lock in a deal worth hundreds of millions. Teams are betting on promise rather than proven skill, and that’s the part that’s started rubbing a few legends the wrong way.

Now, if you look around, names like Ben Simmons, Jordan Poole, Zach LaVine, and Andrew Wiggins pop up real quick in this conversation. They all cashed in early, signing big deals before hitting their true peak—only to never quite get there. Michael Jordan saw this coming long before it became the norm. Way back on The Oprah Winfrey Show, he threw out a quiet warning that’s now echoing louder than ever.

“The difference is, in our sport, you get paid off of potential—a rock star, you have to be good. Most young kids that come in now, we don’t know how good they’re gonna be, yet they got five-year guarantees, millions of dollars, admiration of many, endorsement deals,” he said. “When corporate America came to us, we had a game that could validate their admiration and sponsorships. Now they get that before they play one game. In essence, you’re paying the kid off of potential that he may be great. It sets a bad work ethic. When you get something so easily, you’re not gonna work as hard.”

So, with new media rights, brand deals, and even NIL money in college, young players today are drowning in cash before they’ve even figured out the game. And that’s where Jordan’s words start to feel less like a throwback quote and more like a reality check.