HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NBA’S UPCOMING 11-YEAR, $76 BILLION MEDIA RIGHTS DEAL
The NBA might not be happy with the NFL making Christmas Day a regular part of its schedule. However, its new media rights deals nearly put the two leagues in the same economic arena.
The NBA’s 11-year, $76 billion contract package would kick in with the 2025-26 season. The deal is for the same number of years as the NFL’s most recent agreement, which began with the 2023 season.
The deals with ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon Prime Video will average $6.9 billion per season. The NFL averages $10 billion per year, but that is with five networks. Depending on how things fare with TNT Sports, the NBA could cross the $7 billion threshold.
The NFL remains the top attraction because of its ratings and advertising prowess. The NBA is a firm second and can command top dollar due to its younger viewers as well as having a ton of content.
When does this become final?
At least not for a couple of weeks. The NBA has a board of governors meeting in Las Vegas next week and could approve the deal there. Once the league sends the finished contracts to TNT Sports, it would have five days to match one of the deals.
Does TNT Sports have any chance?
Very slim. And if the NBA really wanted to keep one of its legacy partners in the game, it could have carved out a limited fourth package of games by now.
With TNT’s recent acquisitions of the French Open, College Football Playoff early-round games, the Big East and Mountain West, it appears owner Warner Bros. Discovery is preparing for life without the NBA in the fall of 2025. Turner Sports has had the NBA since 1984.
TNT Sports is paying $1.4 billion per season. Considering the amounts of the three proposed packages, that would make the Prime Video rights the one it would be likely to try to match.
Why is the deal so long?
Leagues want economic certainty. For the networks and media companies that hold the rights, live sports continue to be prime real estate for advertisers.
How will this benefit the fan?
You may need to go to your channel guide often, but during the last three months of the regular season there will be a national NBA telecast every night on either ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock or Prime Video.
Who has the top package?
ESPN and ABC will continue to be home to the league’s marquee matchups, as well as the NBA Finals.
Even though the NBA will have two broadcast partners for the first time, the Walt Disney Company was adamant about not sharing the Finals. It will cost Disney $2.6 billion per year, which is just shy of the $2.7 billion per season it pays to the NFL for “Monday Night Football,” two playoff games and the Super Bowl in 2027 and 2031.
Under the current nine-year deal which expires next season, ESPN/ABC pay $1.4 billion per year.
Welcome back, NBC
The network that carried all six of Michael Jordan’s title runs with the Chicago Bulls and the first three of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s championships with the Los Angeles Lakers returns after carrying games from 1990 through 2002.
NBC will air a Sunday night package of games once the NFL regular season is over as well as NBA All-Star Weekend. It will regularly air games on Tuesday nights and have a package of Monday games streaming on Peacock.
NBC’s deal averages $2.5 billion per season, which is more than the $2 billion it gives to the NFL for “Sunday Night Football.”
Dose this mean ‘Roundball Rock’ is coming back?
Yes. You don’t have to wait until the fall of 2025 to hear it though because NBC licenses it for its basketball coverage during the Olympics.
Is the NBA entering the streaming world?
Yes, with Prime Video. It will carry games on Thursday night after the NFL regular season ends, along with games on Friday and Saturday.
Prime Video will also be the main network for the in-season tournament. It will average paying $1.8 billion per season (its deal with the NFL averages $1.1 billion per year).
Because ABC has the NBA Finals, who gets the rest of the playoffs?
All the networks will have games during the first two rounds. When it comes to the conference finals, ESPN/ABC has one series each season while NBC and Amazon Prime Video will alternate who carries the other one.
What does this mean for the NBA?
Labor peace was achieved with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The media rights are about to be done. That puts expansion by at least two teams to 32 on deck. The expansion fees will also carry a nice financial windfall for teams.
For players, it means the league’s salary cap will see an annual 10% increase. Get ready for the possibility that the top players may be earning somewhere near $100 million per season by the mid-2030s.
Is the WNBA part of this rights deal?
Yes. All three partners will carry games. ESPN/ABC and Prime Video already have games while NBC will return to carrying the WNBA after doing the first six seasons (1997 through 2002). It is possible the WNBA could still add more partners like it has in recent seasons.
US WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM LOOKS TO CONTINUE OLYMPIC DOMINANCE, SEEKING 8TH STRAIGHT GOLD IN PARIS
The U.S. women’s basketball team is on a historic run, winning seven straight Olympic gold medals. While no one has come close to ending that streak, the rest of the world is getting better.
The Americans, who haven’t lost an Olympic contest since 1992, won by an average of 16 points in the Tokyo Games. That was their smallest margin of victory since the streak started at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
The biggest challenge for the U.S. will once again be the limited prep time to practice as unit. The complete team will be together for the first time right before the Paris Games.
“The rest of the world is definitely improving,” six-time Olympic participant Diana Taurasi said. “It’s not as easy as it’s looked over the years.”
The 42-year-old Taurasi would know; she has been a part of the last five U.S. Olympic teams. She will be going for a record sixth gold medal in Paris.
The U.S. is trying to break a tie with the American men’s basketball team for most consecutive gold medals. The men won seven straight from 1936-68. The two basketball teams hold the longest streak for golds in a traditional team sport in Olympic history.
The Americans understand what’s ahead and are focused on the present and not their past. The goal is just to win in Paris and not look at the bigger picture of continuing the dynasty.
“That can’t be your every day thought and then you lose sight of what it takes to get there,” U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve said. “That’s the biggest thing you have to block out. There’s a huge narrative we can’t escape with this being one of the greatest sports dynasties ever. It’s our first experience together with this group and this is our special journey, it’s about one gold medal.”
It’s definitely a special time for Brittney Griner, who is returning to the team for the Olympics. She missed the 2022 World Cup when she was wrongfully detained in Russia for 10 months. She has said that she’ll only play overseas with USA Basketball.
“We were all thinking of BG when she was away and we didn’t know if this moment would be possible,” Reeve said. “I’m thrilled for her personally and thrilled for our basketball team.”
The Americans are in a pool with Japan, Belgium and Germany. The Japanese team were silver medalists at the 2021 Tokyo Games. Group A features Serbia, Spain, China, and Puerto Rico. Group B is comprised of Canada, France, Australia and Nigeria.
Play begins on Sunday, July 28 and ends with the gold medal game on the final day of the Olympics.
Here are some other things to watch for:
Welcome back Lauren
Australia will receive a huge lift with the return of Lauren Jackson. The four-time WNBA MVP won three Olympic silver medals and one bronze with the Opals before retiring from playing in 2016 after knee injuries derailed her career. She returned for the 2022 World Cup in Australia and led the team to a bronze medal. Now the 43-year-old forward will be playing in her fifth Olympics.
“What Lauren has done is simply amazing,” Australia coach Sandy Brondello said. “She has a great basketball IQ and certainly will help us.”
Newcomers
Germany is making its first Olympic appearance led by the Sabally sisters — Nyara and Satou (who plays with the Dallas Wings). The Germans will host the 2026 World Cup and hope to have a strong showing in Paris where they are in a tough pool with the U.S., Belgium and Japan.
“We’re just there to have fun,” Nyara Sabally said. “It’s basketball, you never know what’s going to happen. I’m really confident in our team and I think we have a really good team.
Looking for a win
African nations haven’t fared well at the Olympics, going 1-36 with Nigeria getting the lone victory in the 2004 Athens Games when they topped Korea in the 11th place contest. Nigeria will look to end that drought as the country plays in its third Olympics.
KINGS ROOKIE DEVIN CARTER (SHOULDER) OUT AT LEAST 6 MONTHS
Sacramento rookie guard Devin Carter will miss at least six months after undergoing left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, the Kings announced on Thursday.
Carter, 22, was the 13th overall pick in last month’s NBA draft after earning Big East Player of the Year at Providence (career-high 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists) in 2023-24.
Carter played one season at South Carolina before transferring to Providence for the past two seasons. In 96 college games (73 starts), Carter averaged 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Last weekend, the Kings obtained six-time All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan in a three-team sign-and-trade with the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls.
In the deal, Sacramento sent forward Harrison Barnes and an unprotected 2031 pick swap to the Spurs. The Bulls acquired swingman Chris Duarte, a pair of second-round draft picks and cash from the Kings and two-player RaiQuan Gray from the Spurs.
VETERAN G KYLE LOWRY BACK WITH 76ERS ONE-YEAR DEAL
Six-time All-Star guard Kyle Lowry is returning to play for his hometown Philadelphia 76ers, he said on Instagram Thursday.
Lowry’s new deal with the Sixers is a one-year contract, according to ESPN.
Lowry, 38, signed with Philadelphia midseason after the Miami Heat traded him to the Charlotte Hornets in late January and Charlotte waived him three weeks later. Lowry is a Philadelphia native who played his college basketball at nearby Villanova.
He played in 23 regular-season games for the Sixers, making 20 starts, and put up 8.0 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. He also shot 40.4 percent from 3-point range.
Lowry posted an 18-point game in the 76ers’ first game of the playoffs, going on to average 7.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds in the six-game series loss to the New York Knicks.
Lowry made six straight All-Star Games and received league MVP votes in 2015-16 during his run with the Toronto Raptors. He helped guide the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title.
In 18 NBA seasons with Memphis (2006-09), Houston (2009-12), Toronto (2012-21), Miami (2021-24) and Philadelphia, Lowry has career averages of 14.3 points, 6.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
SCHEDULE REVEALED FOR NEWLY RENAMED EMIRATES NBA CUP
The NBA is preparing for the second year of its in-season tournament, now branded as the Emirates NBA Cup.
The league said Thursday that the second annual tournament will begin Nov. 12 with regular-season fixtures designated as NBA Cup games.
As with last year’s competition, teams will be drawn into six groups of five for a single round robin. Group play games will take place across four Tuesdays (Nov. 12, Nov. 19, Nov. 26 and Dec. 3) and three Fridays (Nov. 15, Nov. 22 and Nov. 29).
The quarterfinals of the single-elimination knockout bracket will be played Dec. 10 and 11. Then the tournament will shift from NBA team markets to Las Vegas, where T-Mobile Arena (home of the NHL’s Golden Knights) will host the semifinals on Dec. 14 and the championship game on Dec. 17.
The NBA Cup groups will be drawn Friday night during a live ESPN broadcast.
The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament, defeating the Indiana Pacers in the championship game.
The NBA announced in February that a new partnership with Emirates would include branding the in-season tournament with the airline’s name beginning with the coming season.
WNBA NEWS
LIBERTY AVENGE LOSS TO SKY; ANGEL REESE EXTENDS RECORD
Sabrina Ionescu scored 11 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter as the host New York Liberty overcame a sluggish first half and beat the Chicago Sky 91-76 on Thursday night.
Ionescu missed her first seven shots and finished 7 of 17 from the field in front of the largest crowd (17,758) in team history. The guard also made four 3s after shooting 3 of 21 from behind the arc in New York’s previous two home games.
Breanna Stewart added 19 points as the Liberty (19-4) overcame a 13-point deficit in the first half and extended their home winning streak to nine. Jonquel Jones added 18 points and 13 rebounds while reserve Kayla Thornton scored 16 and Leonie Fiebich contributed 13 as the Liberty shot 47.6 percent and hit 13 of 23 3s.
Rookie Angel Reese collected 10 points and 10 rebounds to extend her WNBA-record streak to 15 straight double-doubles but Chicago (9-13) was unable to earn its second win this season in New York.
Chennedy Carter paced all scorers with 22 points and Marina Mabrey added 15 as the Sky shot 45.9 percent and scored 56 points in the paint.
After taking a one-point lead into the fourth, New York began to surge ahead midway through the period. Chicago got to within two following a 16-footer by Carter with 7:38 left but less than two minutes later, Thornton hit a 3 to give New York a 75-68 lead.
Ionescu hit a 3 to push the lead to 78-70 with 4:22 remaining and her 31-foot 3 extended the margin to 81-72 with 3:41 left before two free throws by Thornton made it 85-72 with 2:09 to go to essentially clinch the win.
Chicago held a 37-24 lead on a basket by Reese with six minutes left in the second quarter but was outscored 14-3 over the rest of the half and settled for a 40-38 lead at halftime on a basket by rookie Kamilla Cardoso with 41.6 seconds left.
Consecutive hoops by Isabelle Harrison gave Chicago a 53-48 lead with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter but New York scored the next 11 points to take a 59-53 lead on Fiebich’s 3 with 2:49 left. Chicago evened the game at 62 on a basket by Reese with 50.9 seconds left but New York entered the fourth with a 63-62 lead following a free throw by Ionescu.
INDIANAPOLIS GETS NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2026
Indianapolis, the capital of a basketball-crazed state, will become the center of the college hoops world in the spring of 2026.
Already chosen to host the 2026 Final Four, Indianapolis will also be the site of the NIT semifinals and finals and the Division II and Division III national championship games that year, the NCAA said Thursday.
Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler’s home arena, will host the NIT semifinals, while the finals will be played in another venue yet to be announced. Long a staple of Madison Square Garden in New York, the NIT semifinals and finals moved to Las Vegas in 2023 and Indianapolis in 2024.
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the NBA’s Pacers and WNBA’s Fever, will see the D2 and D3 national title games played one day before the D1 championship game is held at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Colts.
It’s the second time that the D1, D2 and D3 championships will converge in one city. Atlanta hosted the full gamut of national championship games in 2013.
“This will be a tremendous celebration of men’s college basketball across all three divisions in Indy,” NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said in a statement. “When we did this in 2013, we had nearly 8,000 fans watching the Divisions II and III championship games, and the final two nights of this year’s NIT at Hinkle Fieldhouse featured sold-out crowds of more than 9,000 fans. It will be an awesome opportunity for student-athletes at the participating schools, as well as a showcase for the legendary college basketball fans in Indiana.”
Indianapolis and the surrounding area also hosted a centralized “bubble” NCAA Tournament in April 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Games were held at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, as well as on the campuses of Indiana University and Purdue University.