If Yao plays in NBA for 10 years, half of his earnings will be enough to host as many seasons of the CBA league.
April 30, 2002 4:50 PM   Subscribe

If Yao plays in NBA for 10 years, half of his earnings will be enough to host as many seasons of the CBA league. Chinese Basketball Association player in the NBA is required to send big money back home.
posted by Leonard (10 comments total)
 
If it were me I'd refuse to play until they at least lowered it. Either that or apply for american citizenship. Cash cow gone, baby.
posted by Jubey at 6:09 PM on April 30, 2002


Sure that sucks, but our top tax bracket is like 40%, isn't it? The average NBA player is probably getting pretty close to that taken out of his paycheck already. OTOH, if Yao's gotta pay both their 50% and our 40%, then that's pretty screwed up.
posted by boaz at 6:27 PM on April 30, 2002


I feel even more sorry for the player in the WNBA. They're not being paid all that well (at least compared to the NBA) in the first place. She probably ends up qualifying for food stamps after she pays the Chinese half of her salary.
posted by gyc at 8:45 PM on April 30, 2002


I feel even more sorry for the player in the WNBA. They're not being paid all that well (at least compared to the NBA) in the first place.

Oh, boo hoo, so do I. Someone is getting paid less than someone else, who gets paid 10 million dollars a year to PLAY A DAMNED GAME for a living. My heart weeps.
posted by Danelope at 9:40 PM on April 30, 2002


oh Danelope, is that the green-eyed troll of jealousy? Yao is supposedly an incredibly athlete and is expected to go #1 in the draft this year. Whereever he settles, BTW I'm hoping the Knicks are able to pick him up, he'll make mediocre cash for the first couple of years, and if he lives up to his potential, it won't matter how much the Chinese get from his salary. Besides, if a little of his salary goes to the CBA, then the NBA scouts have a new farm to check out in the coming years.
posted by BlueTrain at 9:56 PM on April 30, 2002


It has nothing to do with jealousy, BlueTrain. I simply maintain the opinion that those receiving millions of dollars for participating in a form of recreation should consider themselves (and should be considered) damned lucky, regardless of how many millions more their teammate is making.

I refuse to feel sorry for someone making $5 million/year instead of 10 for playing a game.
posted by Danelope at 10:07 PM on April 30, 2002


I simply maintain the opinion that those receiving millions of dollars for participating in a form of recreation should consider themselves (and should be considered) damned lucky,

Their salaries are based upon what the market will bear. Don't get me wrong, I wish that athletes were paid 6 figures while doctors/lawyers/engineers were paid 7-9 digits, but these athletes are more rare than diamonds. (BTW, I know the tragic irony that diamonds, in fact, are not rare) Kobe Bryant, Shaq, T-Mac, AI, etc...are all incredible, INCREDIBLE athletes who create a fan base and generate mad amounts of cash for their teams and sponsors. Why are they lucky? Because they're able to play so well, or because they're paid so well? If it's the latter, I believe your opinion to be incorrect.
posted by BlueTrain at 10:20 PM on April 30, 2002


Oh, boo hoo, so do I. Someone is getting paid less than someone else, who gets paid 10 million dollars a year to PLAY A DAMNED GAME for a living. My heart weeps.

The average salary of a WNBA player is only $55,000. Take away 50% and taxes and not a whole lot is left.
posted by gyc at 12:02 AM on May 1, 2002


Well, he could give away 90% of his salary and still have more money than most of us.

Kobe Bryant, Shaq, T-Mac, AI, etc...are all incredible, INCREDIBLE athletes... Shaq athletic? If I was 7' tall and weighed 320lbs. would you be calling me athletic too? At least I can shoot foul-shots.
posted by eas98 at 7:11 AM on May 1, 2002


boaz: First, not all countries recognize taking another country's citizenship as terminating your own; the US is actually in the minority of nations that will let you live abroad tax-free. Yao could do that but he probably would have trouble going home to visit friends and family. And the top federal tax rate for salary income, these days, is 39.1%, so you're pretty close. But I bet you didn't know you can use taxes paid to foreign governments as an itemized deduction -- or as a straight "foreign tax credit".

This isn't just a China problem, of course -- Swedish author Astrid Lindgren once received a tax bill for 102% of her annual income, and of course remember "One for you, nineteen for me" in the Beatles' Taxman?

$55K isn't Shaq money, to be sure, but it's still a pretty good salary by most people's yardstick. It's not AAA baseball wages! There you're doing it for the love of the game. So, Dan's wrong, but I don't think we need to feel sorry for WNBA players, even the ones on the lower end of the scale.
posted by dhartung at 8:12 AM on May 1, 2002


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