Epidemic of Entitlement Plagues Pro Basketball
I have been a basketball fan as long as I can remember, and I imagine that I will always be a basketball fan, but the sense of entitlement worn like a proud badge by many modern pro basketball players is difficult to fathom or accept. There are many examples, but I will cite just three.
The first example is from a recent podcast during which DeMarcus Cousins reflected on his time as Nikola Jokic's teammate, and noted that Jokic indicated that he might retire early instead of signing a contract with a total value of $300 million. Cousins advised Jokic that retiring early would be crazy, and that even if Jokic did not want to play he should just sign the deal--for guaranteed money--and then "just get fat at worst." Cousins' mentality makes it clear (1) why he washed out of the NBA at just 32 years old, and (2) why it often seems like many players are more focused on making money than earning money: players likes Cousins think that they are entitled to be paid as opposed to thinking that they have a responsibility to earn the money that they are paid.
The second example is from the WNBA. At the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, players wore t-shirts bearing the phrase, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." The NBA has a majority ownership interest in the WNBA and fully subsidizes the WNBA, which has lost money in every single year since it was founded 28 years ago. The WNBA's losses averaged around $10 million per year prior to 2023, but leapt to around $50 million in 2024. A quip making the rounds is that WNBA stands for Welfare National Basketball Association. Perhaps the WNBA's players should chip in to pay the league for the opportunity to be on TV and thus become well known enough to get endorsement deals, because without the WNBA most people would have no idea who many of these players are. Much like Cousins thinks that NBA players are entitled to be paid without making any effort to stay in shape, WNBA players think that they are entitled to huge paychecks even though the business that hired them is losing money.
The third example involves the NBA and the WNBA. After demanding to be paid money that they have not earned, the WNBA players laughed and giggled their way through an uncompetitive 2025 WNBA All-Star Game. In that regard, they are following the example of the NBA, a league whose All-Star Games have degenerated from must-see TV to unwatchable farces.
Perhaps there have always been athletes with an overgrown sense of entitlement, but the problem seems to be more widespread than before.
The way that far too many modern athletes focus on being entitled as opposed to earning respect contrasts markedly with the attitude displayed by the man who was for many years the face of pro basketball: Julius Erving. In 1984, near the end of his Pantheon-level career, Erving explained how he perceived his place in basketball history:
I'd say I've had an effect in three main areas. First, I have taken a smaller man's game, ball-handling, passing, and the like, and brought it to the front court. Second, I've taken the big man's game, rebounding, shot-blocking, and been able to execute that even though I'm only six-foot-six. What I've tried to do is merge those two types of games, which were considered to be separate—for instance, Bill Russell does the rebounding, Cousy handles the ball—and combine them into the same player. This has more or less changed the definition of what's called the small forward position, and it creates a lot more flexibility for the individual player, and, of course, creates a lot more opportunities for the whole team. The third thing I've tried to do, and this is the most important thing, is to make this kind of basketball a winning kind of basketball, taking into account a degree of showmanship that gets people excited. My overall goal is to give people the feeling they are being entertained by an artist—and to win.
You know, the playground game … refined.
Note how much thought Erving put into how he played the game, and how much work he did to hone his craft. Note, also, that he considered it his responsibility to help his team win while entertaining the fans. Erving laid the groundwork for non-centers like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James to become MVPs and become leaders of championship teams, two roles that before Erving were predominantly filled by centers.
I have long argued that Erving is underrated by commentators who do not know or understand basketball history. The example that Erving set about how to think about the game and the responsibility--not entitlement--of being a professional athlete is one that modern players should learn about and emulate.
Labels: DeMarcus Cousins, Julius Erving, NBA, Nikola Jokic, WNBA
posted by David Friedman @ 8:50 PM
