Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton shares his thoughts on the NBPA’s move to secure health coverage for retired players.
Over the weekend, the National Basketball Players Association made the move to secure access to health insurance for all retired players with at least three years of service in the league. The NBPA’s player representatives voted unanimously to fund the program, the first of its kind in American professional sports.
Said NBPA President Chris Paul, “The game has never before been more popular, and all the players in our league today recognize that we’re only in this position because of the hard work and dedication of the men who came before us.”
Paul continued, “It’s important that we take care of our entire extended NBA family, and I’m proud of my fellow players for taking this unprecedented step to ensure the health and well-being of our predecessors.”
Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton, who retired as a player in 1993, couldn’t agree more and shared his thoughts on the NBPA’s big move in a guest spot on David Aldridge’s Monday Morning Tip for NBA.com.
Guest Tippers @markeaton7ft4 & @etanthomas36 on the impact of a new @TheNBPA insurance program for retired players: https://t.co/OMjH46vV8d
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) August 1, 2016
Eaton, a 7-foot-3 shot-blocking machine who played 11 seasons with the Jazz, was twice named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and represented the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game in 1989, was effusive in his praise of the NBPA’s actions in his piece.
From NBA.com—
"The history of unions, especially in professional sports, is typically highlighted by stories of messy labor relations. However, when you dig deeper you find noble players wholly dedicated to serving one another and willing to take a stand to do so. From Oscar Robertson, Tommy Heinsohn and Bob Cousy who created the Players Association in 1964, to Chris Paul, LeBron James and Stephen Curry today, they all recognized a health care need, and selflessly addressed it."
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While salaries in the league have ballooned to the point where $3.4 billion in new contracts were doled out this summer during free agency, Eaton says that past salaries, specifically for those who played in the league prior to the 1980s, were not far removed from the average median household income.
Moreover, the grind of playing night after night, year after year, and the toll it has on the human body, has made for higher-than-average health issues for aging retirees.
As a former President of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, Eaton experienced the struggle to help retired players with their medical needs firsthand–
"For much of the past two decades, the National Basketball Retired Players Association’s Legends of Basketball has searched for an answer to get our guys, especially those over 50, covered in some way, shape or form. With an average NBA playing career of just under four years, many of our alumni have scrambled to find something affordable that works."
Now, thanks to the NBPA’s decision to fund health insurance, retired players that are struggling will get the help they need, a development for which Eaton is supremely grateful–
"Anyone who has experienced the joy of winning on any court knows it does not happen alone. The resulting trust and loyalty creates a bond that lasts a lifetime. Thank you to the NBPA for honoring that bond."
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