Hoops Habit
Fansided

Rockets, Bulls, Spurs: Championship caliber contracts: 1995-1999

By N.B. Lindberg

San Antonio Spurs players Sean Elliott (L), Mario Elie (C) and Tim Duncan watch from the bench as the Spurs lose to the New York Knicks during game three of the NBA Finals 21 June, 1999 at New York's Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won the game 89-81. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/ROBERT SULLIVAN (Photo by ROBERT SULLIVAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP via Getty Images)
San Antonio Spurs players Sean Elliott (L), Mario Elie (C) and Tim Duncan watch from the bench as the Spurs lose to the New York Knicks during game three of the NBA Finals 21 June, 1999 at New York's Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won the game 89-81. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/ROBERT SULLIVAN (Photo by ROBERT SULLIVAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
NBA (Mandatory Credit: Todd Warshaw)
NBA (Mandatory Credit: Todd Warshaw) /

1996 NBA Champion: Chicago Bulls
Season Salary Cap: $23,000,000
Championship-Caliber Contract: Scottie Pippen

Scottie Pippen was a top-15 player by 1995. His compensations, well, it was most definitely not top-15. Pippen produced 15.4 Win Shares between the playoffs and regular season. Production valued at $8.5 million, 36.9 percent of the cap, while his $2.925 million salary only took up 12.7 percent of the cap.

It should be noted, this was Michael Jordan’s final season on a reasonable salary. He has a very legitimate claim to the title of the championship-caliber contract for the 1994-95 Bulls. The reason for leaving him off is that his story and legacy have been covered to death, and if you need your fix, The Last Dance is available on Netflix.

Ranking the last 50 NBA champions. light. Related Story

The 1995-96 Bulls might be the greatest team in history. They won 72 games, an NBA record at the time, and dominated their way to an NBA title. It is also the year when the salary cap spiked, and in the process, it transformed Scottie Pippen’s contract from a relatively fair deal into an absolute bargain.

In the summer of ‘95 the cap shot up by $7 million. A small number today, but relative to where the cap had been it was unheard of. When Pippen signed his extension with the Bulls following the ‘91 season for 5 years and $18 million the salary cap was only around $12 million. His average annual salary of $3.6 million was about 30 percent of the ‘91 salary cap, but what makes this deal so unique is how the money was then paid out. Pippen was still on his rookie deal and the $18 million in actuality was spread out over 8 seasons to include the years still on his rookie contract. Even with this voodoo-cap-magic Pippen still made almost 14 percent of the salary cap as late as the 1994-95 season.

From the time Pippen signed the contract to the time it ended, the salary cap had grown from $12 million to $27 million. The length of the contract combined with the growing economic fortunes of the NBA made this one of the most valuable contracts in league history and was a crucial component to the Bulls Three-peat from ‘96 to ‘98. Pippen signed a bad contract and the Bulls benefitted but Pippen also signed a good contract and he benefitted.

The mistake for Pippen and the coup for the Bulls was the length. The Scottie Pippen contract completely altered the course of basketball history and helped solidify Michael Jordan as the greatest player ever. Without it, the Bulls would not have won six championships in the 90s, but that’s all hypothetical. Pippen might not have liked being underpaid, but I’m sure he would love to know that it made history and the Championship-Caliber Contract Hall of Fame.