The NBA Wants To Be More Like The NFL

As the NBA continues its quest to make the league more attractive to fans and future media rights partners, it will look at the most popular sport in the United States as an obvious blueprint for success.

“I see my goal as helping the league… to become more NFL-like,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on JJ Redick’s “The Old Man and The Three” podcast. Silver said the NBA product should be able to stand on its own — no matter which teams are on the court. 

The NBA’s media rights deals expire in 2025, but negotiations for the next set will begin after this season. The NBA will no doubt look to maximize the value of its broadcast deals. The NFL’s most recent deals garnered $110 billion over 11 years.

Already, the league has introduced the inaugural in-season tournament, and Silver recently laid out his vision for a better All-Star Game experience, telling Redick that the NBA and its media partners can do a better job of showcasing the basketball itself.  

“I think there is this sense that unlike in football — where the coaches are viewed as these field generals going out there with complex schemes — that in basketball, there’s a sense that it’s just about athleticism, or the coach’s job is just to get the guy to play hard,” he said.

NBA Draft Changes?

The NBA is also reportedly exploring taking another page from the NFL by turning its draft into a multi-day event. The league discussed the possibility of extending its format to two days during a meeting with team general managers this week, according to The Athletic.

Currently, the two-round NBA Draft takes place on one night, typically in an arena around New York City. There is no word on whether an expansion of the draft could entice the league to move the event from city to city, like the NFL does, which has become a traveling roadshow that attracts huge crowds and generates big TV ratings.