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The NBA is flush with new television revenue, and the players association has come up with one uplifting way to spend it. The NBAPA is hoping to use the new TV money to get health insurance coverage for former players, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The plan would cost between $10-15 million per year.
The league is aiming to offer three separate health care options to former players, according to Wojnarowski. Michele Roberts, the new head of the NBAPA, was reportedly moved by stories of former players being unable to afford basic health care needs after years of sacrificing their bodies for the good of the league. The union is reportedly ready to pass the plan and start covering former players soon.
The league's new TV money will come into effect in 2016, and will give the NBA $2.6 billion. The salary cap is set to explode starting next season, which means an increase in both team revenue and player salaries. Now some of this money will be set aside for former players who helped make the NBA what it is before so much new cash entered the league.