Kyrie Irving to miss out on $7-10 million because of All-Star votes

By Trisity Miller | Jan 23, 2015

January 16, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during a stoppage in play against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

By not being named a starter to the All-Star game, Kyrie Irving will miss out on almost $10 million.

Every year, there’s a fuss about who is voted into the All-Star game. And every year, people waste time debating the integrity of the All-Star game.

Unless used to measure whether a player is Hall-of-Fame worthy, nothing about the All-Star holds weight. To celebrate the mid-point in the season, fans are treated to a spectacle which includes some of the best players in the world. The initial five named to the group? Voted in by the fans. That’s how Kobe Bryant makes it in over James Harden despite being 10-times worse than the Rockets star — to my point, it doesn’t matter.

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Well, it doesn’t matter unless it can cost you millions of dollars, and that’s what happened to Cleveland Cavaliers superstar guard Kyrie Irving. To be exact, Irving will likely miss out on a figure between $7-10 million due to not being voted into the starting lineup for the 2015 Eastern All-Star team.

Here’s a better description of exactly how Irving missed out on his money, from Cavs beat writer Joe Vardon:

From Cleveland.com:

"Had Irving made the cut, he stood to earn an extra $7-$10 million because of a rule in the current collective bargaining agreement commonly called the “Derrick Rose” provision. The CBA as it relates to player salaries is often complicated, but, the five-year, $90 million contract extension Irving signed with the Cavaliers last summer made him eligible for an even higher earning rate if he were to meet certain criteria."

Instead of going with the offensively-talented guard in Irving to start at a guard spot in the East, fans voted in Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2nd All-Star appearance) and Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (2nd All-Star appearance).

Though earning the money through the All-Star avenue is out of the question, there’s still a chance for Irving to earn his “Derrick Rose” max, albeit a faint one. Per the official Derrick Rose provision, if Irving is named to All-NBA first, second or third team twice or voted Most Valuable Player in the NBA, he qualifies for the max.

Unfortunately for Irving, he’s missed the bus on being named to the All-NBA team (and even if he was named last year, it’d be difficult for him to make placement on the team with the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, James Harden, John Wall, etc. outplaying him).

And him being possibly named MVP? I’d take LeBron James being out for the season and Irving carrying the Cavaliers to a 70-win season for that to ever happen.

Maybe finally making the playoffs and possibly making the championship will make Irving forget about missing out on extra, easy money.

(H/T: Sports Illustrated)

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