The NBA has finalized a groundbreaking new media agreement, an unprecedented 11-year deal valued at $76 billion. This landmark contract ensures that player salaries will continue to rise in the coming years and is poised to significantly impact how fans access the game for years to come.
According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the networks have received the terms sheets, and the next step involves approval by the league’s board of governors. Scheduled to take effect from the 2025-26 season onward, the deal sets new records in both duration and total value for NBA media contracts. The agreement stipulates that games will still be broadcast on ESPN and ABC, with new additions including NBC and Amazon Prime. TNT Sports, a longstanding NBA broadcaster since the 1980s, may be phased out unless they match one of the new deals within a five-day window triggered by the league’s transmission of finalized contracts.
Initial reporting on these contracts was provided by The Athletic.
Under the terms, ESPN and ABC will retain the premier broadcasting rights, covering events like the NBA Finals and one of the conference finals. ABC, which has aired the NBA Finals since 2003, will continue to broadcast games on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons following the NFL regular season.
ESPN’s primary broadcast nights will remain on Wednesdays, with additional games on Fridays and Sundays.
The return of NBC to NBA broadcasting marks the first time the league has partnered with two major broadcast networks simultaneously. NBC will showcase games on Sunday nights after the NFL season concludes, along with regular Tuesday broadcasts. A Monday night game package will be exclusively streamed on Peacock.
In the short term, the agreement is expected to drive an annual 10% increase in the league’s salary cap, aligned with the terms of the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement. This could potentially see players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City and Luka Doncic of Dallas earning approximately $80 million per season by 2030-31, with speculation that top players could approach $100 million annually by the mid-2030s.
The deal also clears the path for the NBA’s next major initiative: expansion. Commissioner Adam Silver has outlined his priorities, including maintaining labor peace (achieved through the new CBA), securing a new media deal (now finalized), and subsequently considering expansion. Cities like Las Vegas and Seattle are frequently cited as leading candidates for new franchises, with interest also noted from Montreal, Vancouver, and Kansas City among others.
