Jayson Tatum Breaks Silence On How A Flawed All-NBA Voting Process Cost Him $30 Million

Published 02/18/2022, 1:14 AM EST

Jayson Tatum had an extremely fabulous career in the NBA ever since his rookie season. Having the media’s attention that a player like him certainly deserves, he recently voiced his concerns about the All-NBA voting process and how it cost him nearly 30 million dollars. He explained his side of the story on an episode of The Old Man and The Tree.

Jayson Tatum explains that he was set to earn $30 million as part of his contract. This part of the contract was based on the contingency of him making the All-NBA team. “Everybody was coming out with their All-NBA ballots and podcasts, and who they were voting for. I had 30 million dollars on the line to make it.”

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However, Jayson Tatum did not make the All-NBA last season. Moreover, he blames the voting system of the league and continues to explain how it is severely flawed. Tatum believes that there is no criterion set for voting. And it is totally opinion-based.

The fans and media could vote for a player just because they like them more than the other. Tatum says “It’s all opinion based… think there’s just a little bit too much on the line for that.” There is no set criterion, such as the number of games played, points, or any other stats. Gold medal Jay believes that this system of voting is completely flawed and needs to change for rookies of the future.

“Forget about me. Think about the next rookie extension guys that come in. I think that has to change. There’s no criteria set for the voters on who they should vote for.”

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How did it cost him $30 million?

Jayson Tatum was given a rookie max extension on his contract. Therefore, he was entitled to a 25-30% increase in his compensation. This clause was dependent on him making the All-NBA team. Few other players who have rookie max extensions are Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and De’Aaron Fox. They also have similar clauses in their contracts.

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This increase in compensation for being named All-NBA can result in being almost $32.6 million. This increase would continue for the entire duration of their contract. This can be considered an incentive-based bonus. Meaning that if you perform at a higher level, you will be compensated proportionately. However, the votes are not based on performance. They are merely based on who the people subjectively like more.

Tatum was not able to capitalize on this part of his contract, as he did not make any of the three All-NBA teams. Therefore, while Jayson Tatum has comfortably made the All-Star team, his All-NBA journey is a whole different story.

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Do you agree with NBA’s voting system? Let us know.

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Written by:

Abhinav Bhalla is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a 5th year law student and has had a passion for Basketball and NBA since his early childhood. He has competed at school, university and national levels himself, and has a deep analytical appreciation for the sport.

Jayson Tatum Breaks Silence On How A Flawed All-NBA Voting Process Cost Him $30 Million

How did it cost him $30 million?

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