On Friday, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs agreed to a five-year, $252 million maximum contract extension. The move will keep him in the Silver and Black through the 2031-32 NBA season.
Wembanyama is now the highest-paid Spur of all time, besting previous records set by De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell.
Wemby, of course, grew up a Tony Parker fan and was eager to join the Spurs, clearly thrilled by them winning the top pick in 2023, and then overcome with emotion when they selected him. Clearly, he hasn’t lost any love for the team since then.
While his $252 million deal is a maximum contract, he left the “supermax” option on the table. Had he signed that deal, he could have made over $300 million if he hit certain incentives, like winning Defensive Player of the Year.
Since being drafted, Wembanyama has said all the right things about wanting to be with the Spurs for his entire career. His loyalty–especially rare for such a young player–made fans hope he would take a pay cut.
The NBA Players Association, meanwhile, hates the move.
NBPA Hates Victor Wembanyama’s Contract
In years past, Spurs fans were spoiled. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker all took pay cuts later in their careers so the team could build a quality cast around them. Thanks in part to lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, Louis Vuitton, Gatorade, and, of course, HEB, Wemby could do the same.
Seeing top players take pay cuts is exceptionally rare. Seeing them take pay cuts in their first-ever contract negotiations is unheard of. But if Wembanyama leaving cash on the table allows the Spurs to build a winning team, other youngsters might be pressured to do the same.
It’s exactly what the NBPA doesn’t want, and is counterintuitive to their mission of getting players paid.
“It should not put a player in a position where he has to carry the burden in order to keep a team together,” said incoming NBPA executive director David Kelly. “A system that does that, we have a problem.”
There is certainly an argument to be made that home-grown players like Wembanyama should not ever have to take a pay cut, but as long as teams are hampered by strict salary rules, players have to pick: cash or rings. Usually, the union pushes them towards taking the money. Wembanyama just turned that upside down.
By the time Wembanyama’s new contract is up, he will only be 28 years old. He’ll still be well within his prime, and the Spurs are expected to be a top team through his entire extension. Barring any injuries, the Spurs are expected to offer him another maximum deal as soon as they can. Perhaps in 2028 he’ll demand the money he passed up.
Watching him effectively say “I want to be a Spur for life and it’s not about the money” was an awesome moment.
Next time he and Brian Wright are ready to sit down and hash out details, his willingness to take a discount should be remembered, but not expected.
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