Wade believes NBA olympians should be paid

[MR.ballin]

Count two-time Olympian and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade among those who believe NBA players should be paid for playing with Team USA in the London Olympics.

Wade, the leading scorer on the 2008 national team that won a gold medal in China, said he agreed with Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen that players should be compensated for their time participating in the Summer Games. Allen first addressed the issue Tuesday night in an interview with FoxSports.com before the Celtics beat the Heat in Miami.

Allen, 36, is nearing the end of a playing career that included a stint with the national team that won the gold medal during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. But Wade, 30, remains in a pool of players on Team USA’s current roster that will compete at this summer’s Olympics.

“It’s a lot of things you do for the Olympics — a lot of jerseys you sell,” Wade said after the Heat’s practice on Wednesday in advance of Thursday’s game against Chicago. “We play the whole summer. I do think guys should be compensated. Just like I think college players should be compensated as well. Unfortunately, it’s not there. But I think it should be something, you know, there for it.”

via Michael Wallace of ESPN

What a joke. You make millions of dollars and you want to get paid for taking pride in your country and playing for them?

 

[SaintFan25]

I’m reading a lot of reports coming out about my comments re: the Olympics and compensation. And I want to clear this up personally...I responded 2 a specific question asked by a reporter on my thoughts of Olympians being paid. I never asked to be paid to PLAY. What I was referencing is there is a lot of Olympic business that happens that athletes are not a part of. It’s a complicated issue. BUT my love 4 the game & pride 4 USA motivates me more than any dollar amount. I repped my country in 2004 when we won the silver medal and stood proudly to receive our gold medal in 2008 in Beijing. It’s always been an honor for me to be a part of the USA Olympic family & I’m looking forward to doing it again in London this summer.

http://www.facebook.com/dwyanewade/posts/10150810801503993

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Does being compensated always mean by money?

 

[cruzg24]

Just tack on another thing that I dont like about Wade.

 

[Elite]

Just tack on another thing that I dont like about Wade.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Personally, I like DWade

 

[elcheato]

 

[cruzg24]

Damn it, beat me to it.

 

[SaintFan25]

Personally, I like DWade

Same here.

 

[dez]

Look at it from his POV

You get paid millions, all year to play ball, in a country your accustomed too around players your familiar with.

The olympics are an honor to us common folk

But in Wade's eyes, your in a place your new to, around a bunch of rowdy foreign fans who could erupt at any second... a bunch of salty ass foreign players who wanna make a name for themselves or go out to hurt the players that play for the big bad USA... why shouldnt they get paid?

Shit nobody said it had to be 5mil a game, but make it worth their while since their going out representing our country, putting their health and financial well-being on the line for a bunch of people (some of which can be found right in this thread) who think they owe it to us..

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Look at it from his POV

You get paid millions, all year to play ball, in a country your accustomed too around players your familiar with.

The olympics are an honor to us common folk

But in Wade's eyes, your in a place your new to, around a bunch of rowdy foreign fans who could erupt at any second... a bunch of salty ass foreign players who wanna make a name for themselves or go out to hurt the players that play for the big bad USA... why shouldnt they get paid?

Shit nobody said it had to be 5mil a game, but make it worth their while since their going out representing our country, putting their health and financial well-being on the line for a bunch of people (some of which can be found right in this thread) who think they owe it to us..

The way I look at it is, Coach K and Colangelo get paid to do it. And the players are making others a whole lot of money, while they get completely left in the dark.

I'd be mad if someone was getting paid off of my success and I wasn't getting anything.

 

[cruzg24]

You what at first I was against Wades opinion because of the amount of money he made. Also due to the fact that it is all about the "Olympic honor" to play for your country. I think Olympic athletes deserve to get paid, but more so geared towards the less well known ones who dont get paid millions of dollars.

Obviously that would lead to NBA basketball players getting paid as well. But the right thing to do if it was Wade or Lebron getting paid, if I were them I would donate that money to charity or a good cause.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I can't think of any legitimate reason on why they shouldn't get paid, to be honest.

"They are playing for their country" really isn't good enough.