A former player of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls, Tony Snell pleaded to teams around the league for guaranteed contract through the end of season.
The unanswered plea was to support his sons, who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and the potential contract would have guaranteed premium healthcare for his two sons. Now, the player will have to rely on his own financial earnings which he has accumulated over the span of his nine-year career in the league.
How much did Tony Snell make in his playing career?
Tony Snell has had a modest NBA career, earning amounts that many around the world can only dream. While his earnings are a very minimal amount in comparison to the likes of superstars such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry, Snell has had his fair share of success in terms of finance.
In his first year in the league, Snell was given a stellar 1.4 million USD and this amount continued for a period of 3 years as part of his rookie contract with the Chicago Bulls. In the 2016-17 season, following his move to the Milwaukee Bucks, Snell received an increased amount of 2.35 million USD, an increase of about a million USD from his Chicago days.
It only went up for Snell from there. Snell saw his pay grow to great heights the next season, collecting a massive 9.8 million USD the next season, an increase he poured his heart and soul into. Once again, the next season, Snell saw another which saw him enter the 10 million-mark for the first time in his NBA career, earning 10.6 million USD, which was also capped off with a 200,000 USD incentive.
Snell’s biggest ever payday came from Atlanta Hawks who offered the star a whopping 12.1 million which was the player’s last paycheck beyond the 10 million-mark. After that, Snell dropped down to amounts that were even lower than his paycheck from his rookie days.
Through his career in the league which lasted for nine seasons, Snell accumulated a grand total of 52.6 million USD. It is important to note that the above figures are only numbers from his contracts in the NBA and the amounts from endorsements and the G-League are not accounted for.
Why even a 10-day contract couldn’t help Snell?
While a 10-day contract would have guaranteed more playing time and future opportunities for Tony Snell, it wouldn’t reap any benefits for his desperate cause.
Snell, who currently plays for the Maine Celtics, the Boston Celtics’ G-League affiliate, pleaded with NBA teams to sign him to a guaranteed contract with the hope that he would eventually quality for the league’s premium retirement plan that requires a minimum of ten years of service in the league. In a ‘so close yet so far’ circumstance, Snell has played in the league for nine years and just needed one more year to qualify for the program.
As per the retirement plan regulations, players need to be on an NBA roster for the remainder of the season by February 2, or they must have played 50% of the season’s games. Unfortunately, Tony Snell doesn’t meet either of these criteria. Teams were also hesitant to sign the player because it would impact their organizational management, especially with the NBA Playoffs approaching and every team in the league looking to enhance their rosters.
The importance of Tony Snell’s cause was highlighted by former basketball legend Charles Barkley on NBA on TNT and many NBA players such as Dennis Schroder. Barkley urged the teams in the league to sign the player to support his cause while many others asked the league to make exceptions in Snell’s case, none of which has happened, yet.
Should the league make an exception in Tony Snell’s case? Which team should have signed Tony Snell for the remainder of the season? We are eager to know your thoughts on this important topic, so feel free to drop it down in the comments below.
