Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin will get more from his starting nod in the 2013 All-Star Game than a fun weekend in Houston.

By earning the vote from the fans, Griffin’s contract extension has now qualified for the “5th Year 30% Max Criteria” in the current NBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA), translating to an additional $15.7 million for the 23-year-old forward.

Griffin agreed to a five-year extension over the offseason.  The Clippers chose Griffin as their “Designated Player,” which allowed for the fifth year.  Players coming off of rookie contracts are otherwise eligible for four-year deals.   Teams can only name a single Designated Player.

Under the rules of the CBA, Griffin’s extension totaled a projected $78.6 million.  That number was based on the existing maximum for players with 0-6 years of experience, starting at $13.7 million.

Now that Griffin has reached the criteria with his recent vote to the All-Star team, his extension totals $94.3 million.  While he’s projected to make $16.4 million next season, that number is only an estimate.  The exact cap figures won’t be computed and released until early July.

Griffin’s contract included language for the Clippers star to receive the “maximum salary” as opposed to a specific number.  That’s a common practice when extending top-flight players.

To qualify for the bigger extension, a player needs to be named league MVP, selected as All-NBA First, Second or Third Team in two seasons, or voted in as All-Star twice.

This was Griffin’s second-straight selection by the fans to the All-Star team, hitting the third criteria.

James Harden, of the Houston Rockets, was named their Designated Player in accepting their five-year, maximum deal.  Harden was named an All-Star this year but wasn’t voted in.  He’s yet to meet any of the three criteria for the higher salary.