NBA Commissioner Adam Silver analyzed the league's current situation following Tuesday's Board of Governors meeting.
Las Vegas – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday showed off a seasonal look suited to the NBA 2K25 Summer League and its 109-degree temperatures, wearing a charcoal gray business suit with no tie and an open collar.
He had just attended a media session at the Thomas & Mack Center following the board's day-long meeting, where he spoke and took questions on a range of topics.
No media rights deals have been made: There have been sporadic reports in recent weeks that the NBA's broadcast partner selection and final revenue figure had been finalized, but Silver said that's not true. He declined to answer most questions on the subject because the situation is fluid.
“We have approved this stage of the media proposal,” Silver said, but he continued to call it an “ongoing process.”
ABC/ESPN/Disney, Amazon and Comcast/NBCUniversal are reportedly the likely players in a programming split estimated to be worth a combined $76 billion over 11 years from 2025 to 2026. Warner Bros. Discovery, which operates TNT, is also involved in the talks and has a partnership with the league dating back 35 years.
Besides the financial aspect (the league's revenue from its existing television rights deal will reportedly triple), Silver outlined the league's aims from the deal.
“We're going to increase our broadcast exposure,” he said, emphasizing streaming as fans have more ways to watch NBA broadcasts, citing the league's global reach and ample resources to promote the league.
“Finally, I'd say innovation,” Silver said, meaning technology, from ways to make games discoverable across many platforms to customizations to present games in multiple languages or camera angles.
The league's television network and website are operated under a contract with WBD. Asked specifically about those stations, Silver said, “We don't know yet.”
WBD claims that once the deal is completed, it has a five-day grace period to exercise its matching rights and retain one of its Amazon-like packages to continue its presence in the NBA.
“A lot of it is out of my control. We'll see what happens,” Silver said.
This fall's expansion process: The league's focus in recent days has been, in order, reaching a new collective bargaining agreement with the National Basketball Players Association, negotiating media rights and finally considering expansion. The first agreement is due to close in July 2023 and the second is nearing completion, meaning associations representing Seattle, Las Vegas, Mexico City and other markets will likely be competing for consideration in the fall.
Off-season strategies and new rules: As NBA teams deal with aspects of the new CBA, some of them faced restrictions that could hinder their ability to acquire new players. Free agency has been active this month, although “frenzy” perhaps doesn't quite fit the description that has been used in the past.
“I know there have been reports that the summer has been boring from a fan perspective,” Silver said. “I don't think so. But at the same time, This new system… I [30] It puts the team in a more competitive position.”
Too complicated? The commissioner was asked if the complexities of the CBA — with its cap, luxury tax limits, fines for big spenders and concepts like “first apron and second apron” — make it difficult for fans and even the media to understand.
“We're always trying to find that balance between wanting the system to essentially serve a purpose but also be easy to understand,” Silver said.
Equality vs. Dynasty: The NBA has produced six champions in the past six years, the last time that was the case was from 1975 to 1980. This is a dramatic change from the period since then (1981-2005), when just six teams won 24 of the 25 championships.
Which way is better? “I'm totally in favor of dynasties and having new teams emerge every year, as long as we can create something approaching a level playing field in terms of the tools available to teams to compete,” Silver said.
He acknowledged the CBA was created to ensure fairness and suggested the record could improve beyond 7-7.
The Celtics are on the block. Silver described his feelings about Wyck Grousbeck's decision to sell the Boston Celtics after more than two decades with the team as “bittersweet.” He said he was sad to lose a “first-class owner,” but that he respected Grousbeck and his family for deciding the time was right to sell.
Next destination: France. Silver estimates that 130 current and former NBA and WNBA players will be on their national teams for the 2024 Paris Olympics. “I think that speaks volumes about the state of basketball,” he said.
Steve Ashburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can email him at: heresearch His archive is here and Follow him on X.
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