![[ESPN] Richard Jefferson reveals that players from across the NBA do not care if Kawhi Leonard did get paid an additional $28M under the table: “Collectively, none of us care if someone got an extra $28M. I’m mad that it wasn’t me! … Players have shown zero outrage.”](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/xNGpVtDQXDkSxFQq-49MfXNnivhaoPzdoh-kw1FwSw-1920x1024.jpeg)
[ESPN] Richard Jefferson reveals that players from across the NBA do not care if Kawhi Leonard did get paid an additional $28M under the table: “Collectively, none of us care if someone got an extra $28M. I’m mad that it wasn’t me! … Players have shown zero outrage.”
49 comments
I mean why should they
But the integrity of the game
This is a great precedent for players. Now they can get paid more under the table. It’s bad for leaguewide equity and fans of smaller markets with less wealthy owners
He’s arguing a point no one said at all
Coaches protect coaches,refs protect refs why would players be any different. I don’t remember the last time an active player besides draymond got mad at another players money.
He’s reaching Steven A levels of annoying
It’s a fraternity so I expect this, they’re probably asking him to put them on.
Makes sense. Why would you want to get paid less?
It’s not out of their pocket.
Us being him, Mike Breen and Doris Burke or….
Yea, this is good for players.
It’s bad for competition and integrity of the game. I’m sure players would also love to not have a cap and just get paid as much as possible.
Does he know that the opinion of other players doesn’t matter on this?
I mean yeah, and same reason why the players union would oppose a contract void lol. It’s the owners who want the salary cap, not the player haha.
ESPN continuing to try to minimize the situation. No integrity in that network.
They probably admire it tbh
Cool now ask the fans
If NBA does nothing, expect other players to demand the same “deal” in the future. You think they care about the game to let go the extra $$$?
Are you seriously telling me that someone would want extra money from their employer for no additional required work? That’s preposterous!
No one said the players cared. The players don’t care when other players rape and beat women so why would they care about cheating? The only thing players care about is if you take a shot at the end of a blowout game. Then all hell breaks loose.
of course not but that has nothing to with anything
I don’t think I’ve seen a single talking point around “this is bad because the players don’t like it.” That has nothing to do with the actual issue of the Clippers situation.
Who cares if players care about this? We’re the ones paying the money. It’s our eyeballs that pay the bills. We care because it fucks up how teams can get players.
Players should care. Anything that fucks the integrity and decreases fan trust is bad for the players.
Of course the players don’t care lol they love the idea of getting paid under the table for no show jobs
Moronic comment by Richard there. No one cares if you don’t care. It is an unfair advantage for teams with wealthier owners.
The fans (the only opinion that matters) do care obviously. Insane how greed can warp minds.
Why would players care?
I mean people like Chuck don’t care about Malone impregnating a 13 year old. Many probably don’t care about the stuff Shaq allegedly did. Players don’t seem to care about a lot of stuff others did.
I wouldn’t care either. As long as I get my mill, I don’t care about anyone else’s pockets
Penny wise, pound foolish
The integrity of the league is on the line
If you want to make it WWE, best of luck with your TV deals. Fans care about this, even if players love it
No shit RJ
No one expected the players to care
Respectfully, who cares what the players think? They can use it to get more money so of course they don’t mind. But that’s not the point here at all. The point is to try to maintain some semblance of a level playing field which includes a salary cap. A salary cap that was collectively bargained for, by these same players.
Now, we can have a while different argument about whether or not a salary cap is fair or should be in place at all, but that’s a whole different conversation. It’s on place now and this seems like a pretty clear cut case of salary cap circumvention.
I just don’t think there’s any value in what he’s saying here. The fans are the ones who should be upset, not the players. Really bad argument.
Why would the players care? This is a FO / ownership level concern
Adam Silver – grow a pair of basketballs and issue a heavy punishment/fine on the org and Kawhi for this abuse… let’s see if players are still, “mad it wasn’t them”…
Jefferson misses the whole point just to get some likes from a corny schtick that says “I don’t care about nothing, i just want more money in MY pocket!” I’d call this the “Mobster’s wife defense.” Who cares how Tony got the money, I got a 10mil dollar ring. It’s the ultimate dumbing down of the debate. Obviously, the NBA should be aiming for fairness and at least an attempt at parity.
Players wanna keep quiet because this shit has probably happened quite a bit, just maybe not to this extent.
lol yeah of course it would be a positive for players if teams started paying more over the cap.
I wish it was me too
Nor should they. It ain’t the players’ job to ensure teams are cap complaint.
Terrible look from someone who is (theoretically) supposed to promote the league. “Trust me. Nobody cares if people cheat.” I mean, I care, but hey I was still operating under the pretense that this whole thing isn’t a 100% rigged, pre-determined soap opera. That’s my bad I guess.
Richard Jefferson is the worst.
These guys have no moral compass
It’s all about the money
ESPN has lost all credibility with reporting on this story. ESPN is clearly just a mouthpiece for the leagues and the billionaires that own them. Zero journalistic integrity.
Starting to think all sports leagues are just different flavors of WWE. It’s really hard to care anymore. The NBA and the players are awful at making fans care.
Because they all have all benefited in some capacity in similar shady ways.
Bro is straight up propagandizing for the billionaire with no hesitation he’s another one I’d be looking into
And this is why, Kawhi is most likely to be made an example of. The owners can quite literally afford to play fast and loose with the rules.
The players? Can be removed from the league, contracts voided and black balled. They are easy to make an example of. The worst you can do to an owner is a death sentence for the franchise (NBA doesn’t EVER want this) or a forced sale.
Is that extra $28 million worth it, if you won’t see your voided 153mil (gotta give that $ back now), won’t get another NBA contract in your life and legacy tarnished (all accolades removed and no chance at HOF).
I’m so shocked that a league where 90% of its players only care money. Don’t care that a player is being paid under the table.
That is not the point of this debacle.
What the players feel or think is irrelevant to what happened.
The point is that an organization allegedly broke the cap rules by circumventing it.
Low intelligence people given voice.
They “don’t care” because “it’s not their business”, but once you hinder league’s integrity fans stop watching and leave and there is less money to be made, on court, off court and even under a table.
League has salary because it cares about supposed parity. If players get paid under a table salary cap is pointless and parity is nothing but buzzword.
In such setting you start question other things in nba like lottery, free agency, officiating to even championships and how are they won or just rather elected among owners who will win.
In that moment sport stops being sports and turns in wwe with basketball. And that will turn more people off product than anything else.