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Tuesday, July 15, 2025

NBA Commissioner Expects $10B In Revenue This Season

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

The NBA season begins Tuesday, and commissioner Adam Silver estimates the league will record $10 billion in revenue following two shortened seasons with limited fan attendance.

Media rights make up roughly $2.6 billion of the league’s annual revenue, and sponsorships brought in a record $1.46 billion last season.

Despite those impressive hauls, the NBA has still taken a hit financially the last two years.

  • Revenue dropped from $8.8 billion in 2018-19 to $8.3 billion during the 2019-20 season. 
  • Numbers for the 2020-21 season have yet to be announced, but Silver said that revenue was down about 35% last season.

The NBA’s next media rights deal will start in 2025 and could be worth more than $75 billion across nine years — more than $8 billion annually.

Tuesday marks the start of the league’s 75th season, and the return of an 82-game format, with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks set to play the Brooklyn Nets on TNT.

The league had its most-watched opening week since 2012 last year and averaged 2.9 million viewers during its opening night doubleheader. It was the most-watched opening night since 2017.

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