NBA injury report: At least $2.5 billion in combined salary sits out Sunday
If you're an NBA player with anything to play for this spring, you're probably not playing in Sunday's regular-season finale.
If you were hoping for an incredible, tense finale to the NBA regular season on Sunday, I have some bad news for you. Almost no relevant NBA players, at least those who will factor into the play-in tournament and playoffs over the next two months, are playing on Sunday. (Or, if they're on a team trying to tank for the annual NBA Draft Lottery .
) Indeed, the final leaguewide injury report is extensive , featuring MVP-caliber superstars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokiฤ, Victor Wembanyama, and Luka Donฤiฤ, among others. Of those four, only Jokiฤ even seems somewhat likely to play as he has to make one meaningful appearance to satisfy the league's 65-game rule for award eligibility . When it comes to the rest of the league, if you see someone who is even listed as "questionable" but not out, the safest assumption is that they will probably not play.
As calculated by The Associated Press's Tim Reynolds, this means at least $2. 5 billion in combined NBA player salaries is sitting out on Sunday at a minimum. That is not factoring in the questionable players, who will be closer to game-time decisions.
Phew, wow: $2,526,031,083. That's the combined salary this season of players who have already been ruled out of today's games in the NBA. โ Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) April 12, 2026 To be very clear, this is what happens when: You have a regular season so demanding, arduous, and extended that contending teams decide to punt the final few days JUST so they can finally get some much-needed rest before the real games start.