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The NBA will pay north of $150 million to resume its 2019-20 season at the Walt Disney World Resort, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. This report comes on the heels of a recent chat between NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Sean Gregory of TIME Magazine, who asked the former how the “economic necessity” — aka “money” — played a part in restarting the season.
Silver dodged the question expertly, instead noting the NBA wouldn’t be profiting but rather spending to crown a champion:
“It comes into play that we feel an obligation to our sport and to the industry to find a new normal,” Silver said on Tuesday. “It doesn’t come into play in terms of dollars and cents because, frankly, it’s not all that economical for us to play on this campus. It’s enormously expensive.”
The league will house 22 teams — including players, coaches, executives, and essential staff — at three resorts, arranging for seven practice courts and three different arenas for the “bubble” in Orlando.
The NBA will also provide meals, daily coronavirus testing and other medical support, security, transportation, and entertainment for over 1,500 people during the early stages of the resumption. That number will eventually come down after two weeks, as six of the 22 teams will be eliminated and sent on their way back to their respected markets.
Silver is no fool. The league is doing this because of money — not to make money, but to salvage whatever is left.
The NBA makes the most money in the postseason when arenas are packed to the gills and TV ratings are through the roof as fan bases tune in to watch their favorite teams, often in national television.
With no fans in attendance during the Disney bubble, the NBA will instead focus on recouping any potential TV revenue left on the table in hopes to manage a more suitable return in 2020-21.
The return of this season will also allow players to get paid and for the collective bargaining agreement to not get blown up by a cancellation.