Jul
15
July 15, 1989 – Not a Bad Boy but a Rich Boy
Filed Under On This Day . . ., Floor Burns, NBA, Loose Balls
Apparently drunk with power after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1989 Finals, the Detroit Pistons shortly followed up that summer by signing Atlanta Hawks center Jon Koncak – coming off a season in which he didn’t even average 5 points a game – to a 6-year, $13-million offer sheet.
While the Hawks would match the offer for no explicable reason, Koncak was cool either way, as he turned out to be a rich boy who earned more than three of the greatest players in the history of the game – Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird – during the first season of his contract.
Here’s an amazing comparison of how Koncak performed statistically with these three Hall of Famers during the 1989-1990 season after hitting the jackpot the previous summer and later earning the nickname of Jon Contract:
• Jon Koncak 3.7 Points Per Game, 4.2 Rebounds Per Game, 0.4 Assists Per Game
• MVP Magic Johnson: 21.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 11.1 APG
• Larry Bird: 24.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.5 APG
• Michael Jordan: 33.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 6.3 APG
As for Koncak, he’s got to look back and appreciate the love he got for having no game.
chris@hoops4thesoul.com
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