With all the controversy and craziness this summer the NBA has shifted from a basketball league to more of a reality show. However, one thing that has inspired some of us to dust off the old high-tops--the seemingly outrageous contract extensions which have been handed out to some of the league’s biggest superstars. Jon Wall resigning for $ 170 milli, Steph Curry making $ 201 milli, and James Harden coming in at $228 milli.

But how are the players making this type of money? It’s called the Designated Veteran Player Exception (DPE) otherwise known as the “super-max). This exception was put into place last summer as a response to both the NBA signing a 9 year, $ 24 billion TV deal with ESPN and Turner, and Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors. 

The super-max was designed for teams to retain their stars players. The exception can work by itself, or as an extension to a current deal. Each team’s salary cap is about $99 million per year and players who qualify for the super-max can get about 30% of that cap with an annual 8% raise each year.

So how do you score a super-max? Look below:

1. He makes one of the three all-NBA teams or is named either defensive player of the year or most valuable player the previous season.

2. He has made one of the three all-NBA teams or has been named defensive player of the year in two of the prior three seasons or the league’s most valuable player in one of the three prior seasons.

And this crucial stipulation: He has to be on the team that drafted him or has to have been traded on his rookie deal to another team.

Here are the value's of NBA teams:

So who's tryna hoop?