Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors’s star point guard, publicly criticized the NBA’s compensation model during an interview with the 360 program With Speedy. The athlete, who will receive approximately R$321 million in the 2025/2026 season, argues that the players are poorly paid despite their high salaries. The main complaint centers on the impossibility of athletes having equity participation in franchises, preventing them from benefiting from the teams’ asset appreciation over the decades.
Acordo Coletivo’s barrier from Trabalho
The core of Curry’s frustration lies in the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement), the document that regulates labor relations between the NBA and the players’ union. Este agreement establishes salary cap, transfer rules and benefits, but prohibits active athletes from having participation quotas in the teams they defend. Curry emphasizes that this structure creates a fundamental disparity between owners and professionals on the court.
Enquanto team owners see their assets increase in value to billions of dollars over long periods, players are restricted to short or medium-term contracts. The point guard defines this relationship as an incomplete partnership, where only one side reaps the fruits of the league’s global expansion. Segundo From your perspective, the athletes are the protagonists of the show, but they do not participate in the capital gains generated by their performance.
The concept of equity and the business vision of Warriors
The term “equity” refers to ownership of a portion of the company. If a player was entitled to a percentage of a franchise when signing a contract, he would not only benefit from his salary, but also from the future sale of the team. Atualmente, only names like Michael Jordan and LeBron James have achieved this feat as owners or through parallel businesses outside the four lines.
- Jogadores under contract are prohibited from owning shares in the franchises they represent.
- The CBA is periodically renegotiated between the league and the athletes’ union.
- The valuation of NBA teams significantly exceeded inflation and market indices.
- Revenue growth is directly driven by individual athlete performance.
- Curry will receive approximately R$321 million in the 2025/2026 season.
Curry believes that a short-term mentality harms the category’s financial planning. Ele highlights that the athletes’ physical effort and image act as engines that make the teams’ value skyrocket exponentially. Para the shipowner, not participating in this capital gain represents a structural flaw that makes salaries, however high they may seem, disproportionate to the profit actually generated.
Histórico of dissatisfaction with the financial structure
Esta is not Curry’s first foray into the league’s bureaucratic and financial issues. In July 2025, the player had already expressed dissatisfaction with the restrictions imposed on elite veterans. On the occasion, he highlighted that the commercial success of the NBA should reflect lifelong asset security for those who build the history of the competition. The current moment coincides with personal and collective transitions for the point guard, especially after Golden State Warriors’s early elimination in the play-in tournament against Phoenix Suns.
Curry’s focus turned to career longevity and financial legacy. Embora maintains that he is still far from retirement, the athlete wants to ensure that the next generation of players has more robust corporate rights. The discussion about equity should gain strength in the next rounds of negotiations between the NBPA and team owners, with other league stars signaling informal support for the point guard’s words.
Perspectivas for future trading
Resistance from franchise owners to the inclusion of equity for players is considered high, but the market is monitoring how these statements may influence the next cycle of broadcasting rights and global sponsorships. Curry’s position as one of the NBA’s biggest stars amplifies the debate about economic justice in professional sports. The next renewal of the CBA will be decisive in determining whether athletes will be able to advance their claims for shareholding in the franchises.
