There has been a huge increase in the NBA salary cap this summer, meaning that a lot of players are getting paid much more than expected. As the value of the league has hugely increased over time, we now find ourselves miles away from the way in which players were rewarded in the league’s earlier years.

In a fascinating piece by Roger Groves of Forbes.com, it is argued that four-time NBA All Star, Spencer Haywood broke down barriers for modern day player’s rights.

In the year of 1970, Haywood, who was one of the best in the game at the time, joined the Seattle Supersonics and filed an anti-trust suit against the NBA. The court went to the U.S. Supreme Court and eventually the league agreed to pay a settlement. The case was centred around the rule that all players drafted had to be four years removed their high school days.

The league believed that the quality of play would diminish should talented young players be allowed to play. This has since proved to be incorrect, with the success of transcendent players that have come into the league earlier, even straight from high school such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. Whilst the league paid to settle, they did not apologize to Haywood for their judgement.

Many fans believe that a lot of players are being grossly overpaid this summer, others suggest that the increased payment of players is simply a product of supply and demand. The league is incredibly popular, money is being pumped into the league, so the players should benefit.

Basketball players can now choose when to enter the league and a large portion of those that declare for the draft do it after one or two years, maximizing their earning potential.

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Now that players are able to consider several avenues before signing a lucrative contract to play sport professionally, many have Spencer Haywood to thank for the bold move that he made.

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