Mascots are crucial parts of every game, which provide much relief in a comedic way during intense game situations. When the team is going to lose the game, they cheer up and encourage the players.
Not only players, but they also entertain the audiences when they find that the spectators are not enjoying the match. These mascots are an integral part of the NBA league, and you must have seen these incredible entertainers in every tournament of the NBA.
You must have discovered them wearing apparel that matches their team uniform, colors, and logos. They are specifically hired to entertain people, cheer up their teams and keep the crowd engaged with the game. For this, they do get salaries.
But how much an NBA mascot makes per season? Today, we’ve got a very entertaining topic to discuss, which is all about mascots. Let’s discuss their adorable performances in the stadium and their salaries in NBA.
How NBA Mascots Get Hired?
Mascots get hired by every team differently, so there is no universal way to hire mascots in NBA. However, all it depends upon the skills they’ve got and their performances.
Besides, there are further skills that should be there in a mascot to get hired in the NBA league. If a team finds the person suitable for such skills, they hire and send him for further courses and training to enhance their skills and make them proficient.
These must-have skills include:
- The person should be an excitement seeker and should have the ability to execute stunts. The more dangerous and harder they perform stunts, the better they get the chance to win the crowd’s heart.
- The person should be in and healthy, sporty, and fit because they have to perform some very hard tasks such as jump through hoops, shoot the ball from quite a long distance to the basket, carry huge flags while running around the court, spring on trampolines and many other tasks like them. If a person does not have athletic abilities, he seriously cannot perform such shows.
- You have good interaction skills because more than 20,000 people are there in the NBA league, and you should know how to handle and entertain kids and other guests.
If a person has at least these skills, he’s got decent body shape, know how to perform in the court, and knows how to deal with the crowd and keep them engaged, then is a great chance to get hired by the NBA team.
What Trainings do Mascots get in NBA?
Once these mascots get hired by the teams, they are further sent to the training camps to enhance their skills. Since it is very hard for mascots to make millions of people laugh without saying a single word. They need to convey their emotions through their moves.
Nevertheless, the training they get comprises character development, acting and dancing lessons, non-verbal communication skills, gymnastic moves, emotions through actions, and much more.
In this training, they also learn how to communicate with the audiences silently and expressing fear, excitement, or disappointment according to the situation.
In addition to this, they also learn some gestures which make them unique from ordinary people. These gestures contain hugging gently to kids and other adults.
However, you may think that hugging is a normal activity, but they get specific training to do it very softly and gently. If the mascot gives a tight hug, it may impact the audience negatively.
Besides, they learn how to say ‘I love you’ or ‘I am scared’ in an amusing means. Doing such acts entertains people when they lack interest in the game or if the team is losing the game.
What are Mascots’ Salaries?
Although these are only a means of entertainment, they carry great value in the NBA league. However, knowing about their salaries may surprise you.
But they make pretty good money per year from these basketball tournaments. However, the salaries of mascots vary in different leagues, but when it comes to the NBA, they get a great chance to earn a significant amount of money.
Thus, the lowest level of mascot in the NBA league can make probably $22,000 – 100,000 per year. This is indeed a huge amount. But these salaries vary from level to level, years of experience they have, of course, their performance.
The more they are proficient in this profession, the more they make. It is not obligatory that if a mascot has more experience, he earns more, but many are new and adopt quickly.
These mascots sometimes earn more than their old mates. Notwithstanding, many other mascots earn much more than you may think. It is reported that Rocky the Mountain Lion from the Denver Nuggets is the highest-paid mascot who makes drastically $625,000 per year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum money a mascot earns?
It has been reported that Denver Nuggets’ Rocky is a top-level mascot in the NBA league who earns approximately 625,000 dollars per year.
Who are some popular NBA mascots?
Every team has its mascot, and many of them are very popular for their performances. Some of them are Rumble the Bison from OKC Thunders, Clutch in Houston Rockets, Benny the Bull from Chicago Bulls, Moondog in Cleveland Cavaliers, and many others.
Winding-up
I believe you must have some great memories with these mascots. However, in my opinion, being a mascot is a fun but challenging job because people do not see them as a person, but they see what they wear. Also, faking your personality is a pretty hard task to do, no matter what your current mood is.
A mascot gets tough training to encounter people, hugging children, performing dangerous tasks, and engage people with their fun movements. Some people are difficult to handle, so mascots also get special training about how to handle them.
Whatsoever, these mascots are fun and can swiftly change your mood. No doubt they make good money get much admiration from the crowd.