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.
