​The Jalen Brunson reason Victor Wembanyama isn’t pursuing a supermax contract originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Great basketball players rarely give up giant paychecks just to help their team. Yet San Antonio’s best player just proved that winning matters most, copying a plan from a rival star who recently beat him.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVictor Wembanyama made a huge decision for his basketball future. The young star signed a five-year extension with the San Antonio Spurs worth 252 million dollars. He could have asked for a supermax contract worth 303 million dollars instead.That choice would have taken up 30 percent of the team’s salary cap. By choosing the smaller rookie maximum extension, he stays at 25 percent. He chose to leave about 50 million dollars on the table to help his team.This financial decision was made because he wants to win championships. He recently watched Jalen Brunson turn down more money to build a winning team with the New York Knicks. The Knicks then beat the Spurs in the basketball finals. Wembanyama saw that having extra team money is the best way to win a title.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSports analyst Tim MacMahon spoke about this choice on the show Get Up. “I think [Wemby] deserves praise for prioritizing winning over maximizing his paycheck. He just watched Jalen Brunson do the same thing.” MacMahon highlighted how the player chose team success over a bigger check.The saved money gives San Antonio more flexibility to keep other talented players. The team can now afford future contracts for young stars like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. Wembanyama shared his excitement about staying with the team on social media. He wrote that he is here to stay and will do whatever it takes to win. He believes sacrificing personal money is the right path to becoming a champion.Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama creates ‘problem’ for NBPA after shocking supermax decisionVictor Wembanyama’s hometown discount could be the move that builds a dynasty in San AntonioCandid courtside moment shows Mavericks’ old and new guard coming together earlyTwo Spurs legends made the same financial sacrifice for the exact same reasonHere’s the contract loophole giving De’Aaron Fox a long-term edge over Victor Wembanyama