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Escrow forfeited. NBA players now in the poorhouse.

Posted: Thu Jul 3, 2025 6:42 pm
by Clay Davis
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/281235/NBA-Players-Forfeit-$480M-From-Escrow-Fund-After-Revenue-Shortfall

NBA players will forfeit more than $480 million from the escrow fund after the league's basketball-related income fell short of projections for the 2024-25 season. The NBA pegged BRI at $10.25 billion, according to someone familiar with the accounting who was granted anonymity because the details are private.

Players will retain just 90.9 percent of their salaries from last season. The collective bargaining agreement requires the league to withhold 10 percent of player salaries to ensure the revenue split stays at 51 percent for players.


Overall revenue likely came in light due to the choppy local media environment and multiple small-market teams reaching the playoffs. The postseason gate receipts were dented by the lack of major-market teams in the final rounds.


Why are "small-market teams" still a thing in the internet era? Plenty of extremely popular NFL teams are in "small markets". I feel like the NBA has managed its media landscape terribly by continually flooding obsession with these "large-market teams" (which are usually terribly operated).

The NBA needs to wake up. The financial rizz of Stephen Curry, who has lost MILLIONS, is at risk. What's the point of an NBA if all the players are broke. Walking around wearing shoes with holes in them and sporting hair-sprayed jheri curls. Who wants to watch a broke NBA player? Not me, dawg. Not me.

Re: Escrow forfeited. NBA players now in the poorhouse.

Posted: Thu Jul 3, 2025 7:27 pm
by Zeno
The small market factor is I assume that teams like Golden State and the Lakers charge a shocking amount for their tickets compared to Indiana and OKC. But if that 480 million drop in projection is still probably only 10% related to the difference in the market size of the teams and the vast majority is related to the collapse in RSN revenue.

Re: Escrow forfeited. NBA players now in the poorhouse.

Posted: Thu Jul 3, 2025 7:46 pm
by jwood255
Where's the GoFundMe link? I don't want Steph Curry to lose his financial rizz

Re: Escrow forfeited. NBA players now in the poorhouse.

Posted: Thu Jul 3, 2025 7:49 pm
by TyCobb
Side effects of more than half the league being run by incompetent idiots.

Re: Escrow forfeited. NBA players now in the poorhouse.

Posted: Thu Jul 3, 2025 8:29 pm
by Chuck Everett
TyCobb wrote:Side effects of more than half the league being run by incompetent idiots.


It happened mostly because the regional sports networks imploded. Diamond Sports Group went bankrupt due to neverending cord cutting. Not everyone wants to subsidize the sports fan anymore which is why more and more teams across NBA, NHL and MLB are trying to figure out how to get back on local tv.

The issue, local tv may bring more eyeballs, but also may not be as lucrative once those cable fees are no longer there.

We'll see how things change with the new tv deal. Amazon may also have something to say about the RSN's moving forward.

Re: Escrow forfeited. NBA players now in the poorhouse.

Posted: Thu Jul 3, 2025 8:35 pm
by giberish
Chuck Everett wrote:
TyCobb wrote:Side effects of more than half the league being run by incompetent idiots.


It happened mostly because the regional sports networks imploded. Diamond Sports Group went bankrupt due to neverending cord cutting. Not everyone wants to subsidize the sports fan anymore which is why more and more teams across NBA, NHL and MLB are trying to figure out how to get back on local tv.

The issue, local tv may bring more eyeballs, but also may not be as lucrative once those cable fees are no longer there.

We'll see how things change with the new tv deal. Amazon may also have something to say about the RSN's moving forward.


yeah, I think that's the biggest issue (the NFL is immune from this as every game is on the national TV deal).

I also think that league payrolls got on the high side overall (compared to cap/tax levels) resulting in the low escrow returns to the players. When league payrolls are lower (compared to ca/tax levels) then escrow returns to players will be higher.

Re: Escrow forfeited. NBA players now in the poorhouse.

Posted: Thu Jul 3, 2025 8:36 pm
by Ssj16
Clay Davis wrote:https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/281235/NBA-Players-Forfeit-$480M-From-Escrow-Fund-After-Revenue-Shortfall

NBA players will forfeit more than $480 million from the escrow fund after the league's basketball-related income fell short of projections for the 2024-25 season. The NBA pegged BRI at $10.25 billion, according to someone familiar with the accounting who was granted anonymity because the details are private.

Players will retain just 90.9 percent of their salaries from last season. The collective bargaining agreement requires the league to withhold 10 percent of player salaries to ensure the revenue split stays at 51 percent for players.


Overall revenue likely came in light due to the choppy local media environment and multiple small-market teams reaching the playoffs. The postseason gate receipts were dented by the lack of major-market teams in the final rounds.


Why are "small-market teams" still a thing in the internet era? Plenty of extremely popular NFL teams are in "small markets". I feel like the NBA has managed its media landscape terribly by continually flooding obsession with these "large-market teams" (which are usually terribly operated).

The NBA needs to wake up. The financial rizz of Stephen Curry, who has lost MILLIONS, is at risk. What's the point of an NBA if all the players are broke. Walking around wearing shoes with holes in them and sporting hair-sprayed jheri curls. Who wants to watch a broke NBA player? Not me, dawg. Not me.



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