After commissioner Adam Silver declared that the NBA wouldn't continue with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) as the league's primary broadcast partner, the media giant took the NBA to court, filing a lawsuit on Friday, July 26, 2024, after losing their media rights to Amazon. The lawsuit claims that the NBA breached its contract by turning down WBD's offer for a new media rights deal and opting to sign with the rival company instead.
With billions of dollars at stake, NBA legend and analyst Charles Barkley weighed in on the heated situation. Speaking on an episode of Podcast P with Paul George , he dissected the legal ramifications and what it could mean for both parties involved.
"I'm talking out my [expletive], I want to make that clear," Barkley bristled . "I think the NBA said, 'You can match,' but they meant ESPN or NBC. You don't get to match the Amazon offer… Because when we said you all could match, Amazon didn't exist. I don't think [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver would leave himself open to lose a lawsuit. He was a lawyer, and I think he's too smart."
The legal tussle
The media rights battle is no small matter, especially involving top-tier sports leagues like the NBA. As the legal proceedings unfold, fans and industry insiders will watch closely to see how this high-profile clash plays out. All indications hint at a lengthy legal battle between the media company and their client, the NBA.
WBD accuses the league of breaching its contract by rejecting its offer for a new media rights deal. This information comes straight from documents obtained from league sources. It was met with many reactions. Barkley, who works for TNT, also added that the NBA pushed WBD to match the juicier offers from ESPN and NBC. The Hall of Famer's take sheds light on the high-stakes bidding war for media rights, with each party vying for the best possible deal. It's all about who gets the prime spot to broadcast NBA games.
"When we signed the original deal like six-eight years ago, ya'll had to match NBC or ESPN," Barkley added. "Which is like another $500 million a year. And I think our people were like, 'we're going to try to match the cheapest one.' And Adam's like, 'Yeah, that [expletive] not going to work."
New deal and old problems
The lawsuit by WBD came just two days after the NBA announced an 11-year media rights deal worth nearly $76 billion with Disney, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video. This massive deal will run from the 2025-26 season through the 2035-36 season.
In a separate twist, WBD revealed that they had matched Amazon's offer of $1.8 billion per year, a significant increase from the $1.4 billion they're currently paying under a nine-year deal that ends after the 2024-25 season. Despite this, the NBA turned down their offer, ending a partnership that has lasted nearly four decades, dating back to the 1984-85 season.
A legal battle might be the only way the media company can prevent this messy divorce from the NBA, but it's not looking good for them.
Related: Charles Barkley is heartbroken about the 'Inside the NBA's' future: "Next year is gonna be a bittersweet year"
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