Money Doesn't Equal NBA Finals

Sportico notes that this Is the “youngest, cheapest NBA Finals” in nearly 50 years due to the collective bargaining agreement

June 5, 2025

This Is the Youngest, Cheapest NBA Finals This Century Thanks to CBA
Sportico’s Lev Akabas writes, “The 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers is the youngest in nearly 50 years. The eventual winner will have the lowest average age of any NBA champion since 1980.

“$169.1 million – The total payroll for the 2025 Pacers, per Spotrac, which ranked 18th in the NBA and below the luxury tax threshold of $170.8 million. The Thunder paid $165.6 million in salaries (25th) and also remained below the threshold. Historically, teams have had to shell out more money to win.”
^Sportico

CBS Sports Set to Launch its First WNBA Pregame Show
SBJ’s Mollie Cahillane reports: “As the Fever and Sky gear up for tip at 8pm ET Saturday (CBS’ first primetime WNBA game), host Sarah Kustok will assemble with analyst Renee Montgomery and Univ. of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley for CBS’ first WNBA pregame show at 7:30pm.

“The pregame show is the first of four CBS plans across its nine WNBA broadcast games. Others include Valkyries-Aces on July 12, a Sky-Fever rematch on Aug. 9 and a Liberty-Lynx duel Aug. 16.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Stephen A. Smith Adds Two New Shows at SiriusXM
FOS’ Ryan Glasspiegel writes, “One of the busiest men in sports media is about to get even busier.

“Stephen A. Smith will be embarking on two new shows at SiriusXM, as he announced with Howard Stern Wednesday morning. Smith will return to Mad Dog Radio with a two-hour show on weekdays from 1-3 pm ET starting in September, and will also have a weekly show covering ‘current events, pop culture and social commentary,’ the company said in a release.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Audience Analysis: Blowout Hampers UEFA Title Match; WCWS Drawing Big Eyes
Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday delivered 2.04 million viewers to CBS, down 12% from Real Madrid-Dortmund last year. UCLA-Tennessee drew 2.2 million viewers on ABC on Sunday afternoon, marking the best non-finals game from the Women’s College World Series yet, and the best audience for any game from the event since 2015. ESPN drew 567,000 viewers for the Cornell-Maryland NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship on Memorial Day, up 7% from Notre Dame-Maryland last year, but down 25% from 757,000 for Notre Dame-Duke two years ago.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Small Markets Can Still Be Boom Towns for Sports Stars
Sportico’s Jacob Feldman writes, “Marquee franchises still provide significant viewership lifts in an era of fractured fan attention—just look at the draw of last weekend’s Yankees-Dodgers series for proof. But introducing new teams and faces to the spotlight can offer its own benefits over the long haul. Dynasties force their way into conversations.”
^Sportico

NHL, Sony Strike Global Technology Partnership
The NHL and Sony have struck a multiyear global technology partnership, consolidating and accelerating their existing relationships across several Sony divisions. That includes the use of Hawk-Eye replay tech since 2015 and the addition of the more recent installation of its tracking cameras in every NHL arena, as well as co-production of animated alt-casts with Beyond Sports and the reliance on Sony broadcast and still cameras.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Oilers’ Stanley Cup Run Sets Stage for Expansion of $3B Ice District
Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen reports: “In March, OEG Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Oilers, Ice District and rights to operate Rogers Place, revealed the next phase of the Ice District, an ‘event park’ connected to Rogers that will be a space holding up to 2,500 people for music, festivals and other events. The CA$250 million project ($183 million based on current exchange rates) will include $61 million in funding from OEG, with the balance paid by the city and the Alberta government.”
^Sportico

NYCFC Continues Premium Sales for Etihad Park
NYCFC is commencing the third phase of its premium sales rollout for the under-construction Etihad Park, the club’s nearly $800M new stadium planned to open in 2027. This round of the overall effort centers on the West Centerline Club, The Studios and the West Sideline Club.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Suns Hire Cavaliers Assistant Jordan Ott as Head Coach, AP Source Says
The Phoenix Suns hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as their head coach, opting for a young, emerging leader to rebuild a franchise that has regressed over the past few seasons, a person familiar with the search told The Associated Press on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity.

AP News’ David Brandt writes, “Ott will be the team’s fourth head coach in four seasons and replaces Mike Budenholzer, who was fired following a miserable 36-46 season that ended without a trip to the playoffs despite the high-priced trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.”
^{AP News}

Report: Navy Taps USF’s Michael Kelly as New AD
Navy is “hiring” USF AD Michael Kelly as its next AD, according to sources cited by Ross Dellenger of YAHOOSPORTS.com. ESPN first reported he was being targeted (X, 6/4). ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel noted a deal is “expected to come together later today.” Kelly is a “veteran administrator with experience” at both the ACC and with the CFP. Kelly’s father, Dennis, is a Naval Academy graduate from the Class of 1967 (ESPN.com, 6/4).
^{X, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, Sports Business Journal}

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ACC Lawsuits Formally Closed, But How Long Will Peace Remain?
FOS’ David Rumsey reports: “After agreeing to a landmark settlement in March, court records in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida this week show the conference and two schools have formally dismissed their lawsuits against each other, ending more than 17 months of litigation.”
^{Front Office Sports}

One-On-One With Charlie Baker: NCAA President Talks NIL, Transfer Portal, House Settlement, and More
NCAA President Charlie Baker tells the Boston Globe’s Michael Silverman that the House (settlement) “as envisioned does a few things that I think are pretty important. The first thing it does is it moves the center of NIL gravity away from third parties, who, for the most part, are not well known and not really accountable to anybody, they don’t have to register or report to anyone, and it creates a center of gravity that’s really around the school, and having the schools be the prime relationship around NIL, the athletic development piece, and the personal development piece all where it belongs.”
^{Boston Globe}

What's Holding Up House v. NCAA? College Athletics Hinges on Decision From Judge With a Meticulous Reputation
Now that U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken has granted an extension of the House settlement deadline to June 27, CBS’ Shehan Jeyarajah, Brandon Marcello and Richard Johnson note that a lot of administrators remain in limbo. For instance, Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts says: "There's a lot of angst, man, and you guys can probably feel it. It's at the commissioner level, the president's level, the coaches' level." During a time that should be a relative respite for athletic administrators, the impending settlement has them stuck in purgatory.”
^{CBS Sports}

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