Silver stated that he believes that the league has weathered the pandemic, and all that it brought — including less revenue due to the absence of fans for most of the last 15 month — fairly well. He also noted that he was surprised that many teams were able have full buildings during the playoffs.
Silver stated that the season ended with a better financial performance than expected.
Silver stated that the league’s cash stream would be affected by a 40% drop in in-game revenue (ticket sales, concessions and food and drink). This could be due to the fact that some arenas saw more fans during the regular season, and there were more than 1,000,000 tickets sold in playoff games.
Silver stated that “No doubt, the league will suffer significant losses over these past two years.” Silver said, “I’m not here complaining about that. It is a long-term investment for the league, and it is essential to keep these teams going. It was also a shared sacrifice made by our players.”
Silver stated that players received “significant reductions in their salaries” this season. This was something that was negotiated between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association. This hit will be spread over many seasons.
The league, which had estimated last season’s revenue loss at $1.5 billion, plans to return to normal in the fall. The season will begin in October and be of the usual 82-game length. Although the number of games remains uncertain because the play-in tournament has been discontinued for next season, it is long expected that the league’s board will continue to run it.
Silver stated that if things go well and we can look forward to a new season next spring, it will be a much better year.
Silver also touched on other topics, such as:
INJURIES
Silver stated that the league is concerned by the number of injuries. This has been blamed in certain circles by the compressed 72 game season this season as well as the short layoff for some team between last season and the current season.
Silver stated that none of these reasons can be cited as an absolute cause and the NBA does not know why it is happening.
It will continue to search for the answer over the next few months.
Silver stated, “I have no doubt that they are injured by the extra stress, again, both physical and emotional.” None of this is a scientific method. It’s something we were focused on even before COVID. We created people to be focused on injury prevention. We are still not sure why we sustain the injuries that we do. We’ll continue to research this in the offseason. Unfortunately, the trend line has been increasing for several years.”
It is not clear that the 82-game season will be preserved in the future.
Silver stated that the 82-game season has been in existence for more than 50 years. Silver said, “Is 82 optimal?” It’s fascinating. This experiment was created during the pandemic that swept to 72. Everyone thought it was the cure-all if we just took 10 games from the season. “It wasn’t, because obviously injuries are up.”
Game 7 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for July 22, if necessary. Training camps for the next season will begin Sept. 28. This means that it is possible for Milwaukee and Phoenix to return to camp in as little as 68 day after the conclusion of the finals.
The finalists last season, the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat champions, had 51 days between their 2020 finals and the beginning of this season’s training camp. This season’s schedule begins 72 days after the Lakers took home the title at Walt Disney World’s restart bubble.
“Was it more burdensome for those teams who advanced to the playoffs or the Finals last season? Silver stated, “Yes.”
RAPTORS OF THE FUTURE
Since February 2020, the Toronto Raptors haven’t played in Canada. Silver stated that he hopes things will change this fall.
Although the NBA is not certain if the Raptors, who played in Tampa, Florida, will be returning home for next season, there is hope.
Silver stated, “I know it is incredibly meaningful for the team.” The Raptors were put under more pressure than any other team when they had to move for the season. We are optimistic that the team will return if the same things happen in Canada.
DIVERSITY
In recent days, the NBA hired four minority coaches, including Jason Kidd in Dallas and Chauncey Billups, Ime Udoka, Boston, and Ime Billups, respectively.
This means that the league currently has 10 Black coaches out of 27; only three positions remain vacant.
Silver stated that there have been positive changes in the recruitment of Black coaches. This is something that, like many organizations dealing with diversity issues in general, requires constant attention. Positive movement is being made in this direction. But we are not going to stop there.
