Kyle Kuzma, Jayson Tatum Among NBA Stars Who Seek Insurance Protection from the League

As the NBA plans to resume in Orlando next month, only 22 teams that are going to make the trip. The league has a revised regular-season plan to conclude the championship and move on to the next year. However, there are certain complications that arise when you host a league under severe restrictions. 

While NBA stars train hard to get into shape, there is always a risk of injury that revolves around them. Unfortunate incidents can cause career-threatening injuries. The league devised a plan to somehow end the current season and there might be consequences from it.

It is to be kept in mind that players will be coming back to play competitively after a long break. Though there will be plenty of training camps prior to the start of the season, the players are still at risk of obtaining an injury.

According to Adrain Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks of ESPN, the NBA and the NBPA have engaged in possible protection for the players, in case they get injured or contract COVID-19 at the time of play. The players union and the league are still discussing the revised terms before the season restarts. Several young stars also got into a call with the league officials regarding their insurance policy in case they face a serious injury in Orlando. 

Kyle Kuzma and Jayson Tatum among young NBA stars demanding insurance protection from the league 

The 2017 NBA Draft Class is a talented one. Skilled athletes like Celtics’ Jayson Tatum entered the league. Now, Tatum along with the other stars from his draft class is urging the league to provide them with insurance allowance.

Apart from the injury concern, there is another possibility that irks the minds of these stars. The possibility of extending their rookie contracts with the team will certainly be hindered if they get injured. This will allow them to sign player contracts and lucrative signing deals. If these young talents bow out of the regular season with a serious injury, teams might re-consider offering a long-term extension for these players. 

Players from the 2016 Draft class want to backup their contracts. Stars like Kyle Kuzma, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, and De’Aaron Fox have been contacting the NBPA officials, seeking league-financed insurance policies. 

Here is Woj’s explanation of how these insurance policies work. “For players on the brink of maximum contract extensions worth north of $100 million, insurance policies that run the length of the season’s truncated finish — July 1 to Oct. 13 — could cost in the neighborhood of $500,000 to protect against the financial loss of a career-ending injury, sources said.”