The NBA is an international business and brand that seems to only be getting more popular with each passing year.
Because of that, the league’s next media deal could end up being worth up as much as $75 billion. It’s an incredible number, but it is not one that comes as entirely unexpected given the popularity of the league and its players.
“Industry sources have put a target price tag of $75 billion on the NBA’s next multiyear media deal, slated to begin after the 2024 season,” Jabari Young of Forbes wrote. “Doable? [Steve] Ballmer will only say that a year from now, after a new agreement is reached, ‘we’re going to be in much better shape financially.'”
What could that mean for the league and the people involved? Primarily, it would just mean that there would likely be more money to go around. The salary cap that teams have to adhere to could be raised, making it more possible for teams to sign multiple superstar athletes.
It would also likely bring around contracts that dwarf even the biggest player deals today. Though it seemed impossible just a few years ago, it seems possible that one day the best players in the league will make close to $100 million per year.
Beyond that, it will be interesting to see how the NBA plans to make league even more of an international game. Once relegated primarily to the United States, the NBA is now a worldwide organization, with fans living on every inhabited continent.
That is a major reason why so many of the league’s best players are international ones. After all, the three players currently leading the MVP race — Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo — were not born on American soil.
On top of that, the sure-fire No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft — Victor Wembanyama — is also non-American.
There are, of course, many factors that will decide what the actual number ends up being for the upcoming media deal, but there is no doubt that whatever that number is, it’s going to be a huge one.
