{
  "id": 13378294,
  "title": "Angry Fans push back on NBA’s 30% salary increase claim amid ‘middle class’ players debate",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/angry-fans-push-back-on-nbas-30-salary-increase-claim-amid-middle",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-10T09:38:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/angry-fans-push-back-nba-093826114.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A heated debate has erupted among NBA fans over the league's claim that a 30% salary increase has benefited all players, following criticism of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and its \"second apron\" rules. These rules have sparked a discussion about the pay disparity between star players and those in the middle-class and almost-star brackets.\n\nNew York Knicks veteran Bruce Brown expressed his concerns about the impact of the new CBA on players in the non-taxpayer and taxpayer mid-level exception brackets. \"The middle guys, it kind of sucks for us. There’s not a lot of people getting that full mid-level or the tax mid-level, so it’s tough,\" Brown said after a preseason game. His team, the Knicks, are currently negotiating contracts for their All-Star center, Karl-Anthony Towns, which has led to a salary cap conundrum.\n\nIn response to fans’ concerns, the NBA released a statement highlighting the increase in salaries. \"Recent reports asserted that the second apron is hurting \"lower\" and \"middle\" class players. That’s untrue. Since the implementation of the second apron, the number of players on team rosters has remained the same and annual salaries have increased by nearly $1.3 billion resulting in pay increases of approximately 30% for all classes of players,\" the NBA wrote.\n\nHowever, this statement did not appease fans, who pointed out the difference between a salary increase and the distribution of that increase. One fan argued, \"The middle-class players and \"almost star\" players are the ones who got hurt the most.\" Another user commented, \"The point was that only a certain small group of players are getting the benefit. Saying the average of all players salary increased does not address the issue raised whatsoever.\"\n\nCritics accused the NBA of attempting to mislead the public with their 30% increase claim. \"Hilarious spin. ‘The number of players on team rosters has remained the same.’ Yeah, bro, with vet minimum contracts. ‘Annual salaries have increased by 1.3 billion,’ not for the lower and middle-class players that’s the whole point,\" said one X user.\n\nSome players have criticized the new CBA and second-apron rules, stating that they limit their ability to secure lucrative contracts. \"Annoying, because (they) limit guys like me and some of the other guys. So even this summer, you see guys holding out, trying to figure out what their deal is, not getting the right offer, the numbers that they think they deserve,\" said New York Knicks guard Chris Powell.\n\nThe salary cap increased to a record $164,961,000, but teams need to carefully manage their players within the first and second apron rules. Teams in these brackets lose their privileges to sign mid-level exception players, making negotiations more challenging. With the salary cap, players who are not stars or free agents are expected to face difficulties in securing desirable deals in the coming seasons.",
  "summary": "The NBA’s second apron has led to a lot of changes in how players around the league are paid. While star players continue to be rewarded with max extensions, there have been discussions about how the other groups of players are paid across the league.",
  "key_points": [
    "NBA claims 30% salary increase benefits all players, sparking debate",
    "Middle-class players express concerns over pay disparity",
    "NBA defends claim with roster size and $1.3B salary increase"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}