- NBA commissioner Adam Silver had projected US$10bn in revenue last October
- League confirms play-in tournament to continue for foreseeable future
The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) revenue for the 2021/22 season topped US$10 billion for the first time.
The league also announced that basketball-related income reached US$8.9 billion, marking another record.
Last October, NBA commissioner Adam Silver had projected the league would pull in revenue of US$10 billion for the season, a significant increase on the last two Covid-hit campaigns, which limited fan attendance.
NBA revenue fell from US$8.8 billion in 2018/19 to US$8.3 billion for 2019/20. The shortened 72-game 2020/21 season saw the league’s revenue slip approximately 35 per cent.
Addressing the revenue for 2021/22, Silver said the numbers were particularly strong given the NBA is still dealing with the lingering impact of a pandemic.
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“The numbers did surprise me to a certain degree because it exceeded projections, and the projections represent where we think our business is going,” Silver said to the Associated Press (AP). “I think it’s quite remarkable from where we came two-and-a-half years ago.”
Silver also confirmed that the NBA’s play-in tournament will continue for the foreseeable future. Used in the last two seasons, the format sees teams that finish seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth in the East and West compete to decide the final two playoff spots in each conference.
The tournament’s elimination games have been well received by fans, as well as offering more teams the incentive not to drop off in order to get better picks in the draft.
The decision to continue with the play-in tournament was finalised by the NBA’s board of governors on 12th July.
“Generally, it was upbeat coming out of our meeting,” said Silver. “People are thrilled that as we head into next season, it looks like we’ll be on our normal track in terms of when the season starts, in terms of our protocols around the game, particularly around the health and safety of our players.”
