Basketball athletes getting overpaid is an ancient discussion that has been debated for a long time. Athletes work day and night to improve their sports skills all year round, but should they get paid more than people who have college degrees or emergency services? Though the danger levels are higher for emergency service workers, such as risking their lives, fighting fires, etc., athletes make more money than them (these statements are made yearly).

“I think that athletes don’t get overpaid. The reason is that they work so hard and have worked so hard to get to where they are at; granted, other people who work to save lives get paid less, but I still think that an athlete’s pay should stay the same,” said Sophomore Vivek Kalkat from Livingston High School.

The average NBA player salary is $7.7 million for the season. According to Basketball-Reference, that number is up from an average salary of almost $6.4 million for the previous season. The average salary of a police officer is $34k to $69k every year.

“I do believe that athletes get overpaid for just playing basketball. Other people such as police officers and doctors don’t make as much money as basketball players, and they had to work for years, take hundreds of class and help save lives, and they don’t get paid as much,” said Sophomore Anmeet Kalkat for San Francisco College.

Doctors must complete a four-year undergraduate program, along with four years in medical school, and three to seven years in a residency program to learn the specialty they chose to pursue. In other words, it takes between 10 to 14 years to become a fully licensed doctor.