Among all the other things that the return of this NBA season means, at or around the top of the list as it always is, is money. The league was in a suboptimal financial position as a result of the shut down, and teams have also faced significant losses.
The Los Angeles Lakers have long been one of the most valuable franchises in all of sports and bring in a ton of money every year. Whether it is through ticket sales, merchandise or sponsorships, the Lakers are a massive brand.
But not being able to play games has also been a factor in their television contract with Spectrum SportsNet. In 2011 the Lakers signed a 20-year, $4 billion deal to create their exclusive regional network.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the eight seeding games that are part of the NBA’s return will help the Lakers generate upwards of $12 million:
Sources say the eight regular season games being played will all count toward each team’s regional sports network television deals as well. For teams that have the most lucrative arrangements, such as the Lakers, this is a very big deal.
To wit: Sources say the Lakers pull in approximately $1.5 million per game from their RSN deal with Spectrum SportsNet, meaning they’ll recoup $12 million from those games in all while losing an estimated $8 million because the schedule won’t be completed.
The Lakers have one of the biggest TV deals in the NBA ,so every other team won’t be making quite this level of money, but they will surely bring something in which will go a long way in offsetting the losses that each team and the league as a whole will suffer as a result of this season being postponed.
This has been unlike anything the NBA has ever dealt with and the league and its teams are navigating it as best they can.
For the Lakers and each of the 22 other teams being brought back to finish the season, they have an opportunity to finish out their championship dreams, but it also means a lot to this franchise and the league financially, which will only help everyone moving forward.