Jalen Rose Says The NBA Salary Cap Bubble Has Bursted Over The Last 30 Years

Zachary Draves | Jul 13, 2024

Feb 16, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team Jalen honorary coach Jalen Rose reacts after a play during a Rising Stars semifinal game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Former NBA player and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose took to X/Twitter to speak positively on the rapid change in the NBA salary cap over the last 30 years.

"I think the main thing is that the salary cap has officially [burst] and I love it" he posted

Rose was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1994. That year the highest paid player in the league was Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson at $14.6 million, followed by San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson at $7.3 million.

The NBA salary cap was established during the 1984-1985 season. By 1994, it was at $15,9 million. The salary cap is expected to reach $140.588 million for this season.

The NBA salary cap bubble has officially BURSTED in the 30 years since I got drafted... pic.twitter.com/OlwjdVLd4o

— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) July 12, 2024

Rose then mentioned the recent historic contracts signed by Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum as evidence of the change.

"If you look at the landscape of the game now, I used to always talk about how the sports that were black had salary caps, dress codes, in particular the NFL and the NBA," he said. "Now that salary cap has officially [burst] Oklahoma can sign Hartenstein for $30 million a year. World champions Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both $300 million deals."

Rose concluded the video with a little fun reminder.

"Oh and by the way, my rookie year, Michael Jordan was playing baseball," he said. "A lot has changed since '94."

Zachary Draves is a contributor for Back in the Day NBA. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.

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