It’s a tad ridiculous to talk about appreciation when we’re discussing the NBA. The average NBA
salary is a soupcon short of $7 million this season, which is again the top average salary among the major professional North American sports. Yes, it’s even larger than the largesse-laden deals offered MLB stars—who the average American wouldn’t recognize at the airport. The point is people will swallow a lot for that type of compensation.
This incongruity amplifies even further in an American gig economy with few long-term professions, one that pays doctors and lawyers a ton of money, if only so they can pay back the astronomical loans they’ve racked up from attending medical and law school. Heaven help educators or nurses, perhaps the most dis-incentivized and so unappreciated professions in all of American society. But within the NBA realm, credit and appreciation go hand in hand, and while some on the ensuing list are paid quite handsomely—there are four max players on here—they’re still not getting their real due.
Without further ado, here are the 12 most unappreciated players in the NBA today.