Wembymania is transforming one of the sleepier parts of the NBA’s calendar.

The fan frenzy over rookie Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs’ No. 1 overall draft pick, has created unprecedented levels of ticket sales for the NBA Summer League, a developmental event growing quickly in stature but historically followed by only the most avid of basketball fans.

Tickets for Wembanyama’s professional debut Friday in Las Vegas are no longer available on the primary market, with all 17,500 seats at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center selling out by Wednesday. 

Prominent ticket marketplace Vivid Seats has resale listing prices for Friday’s game reaching $106 — 23% higher than the prior event record set in 2019 for Zion Williamson’s debut for New Orleans. Courtside seats for Wembanyama’s debut are now surging toward $1,200 each as demand grows.

The Las Vegas activity adds to sizable ticket sales increases back in San Antonio for the Spurs’ upcoming season, as well as for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

ESPN will carry the Spurs’ Summer League game live on Friday against Charlotte.

More No. 1 Pick Buzz

Over in the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard — another widely heralded top-overall draft pick — is sparking his own sales surge. 

Bedard’s official No. 98 jersey has quickly become a fixture among Chicago-area fans and has taken over the official Blackhawks team store — before the phenom even turns 18 or completes the signing of his contract.

Bringing impactful change to the NFL’s diversity efforts will be one of the biggest challenges for new NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell when he officially takes over for DeMaurice Smith.

After 14 years at the helm, Smith isn’t being shy about his feelings toward the league’s powerbrokers on his way out. 

Smith co-authored an article for a future issue of the Yale Law and Policy Review titled, “The Rooney Suggestion: How the ‘Rule’ Has Failed to Defeat Systemic and Institutional Barriers to Fair and Equitable Hiring Practices in the NFL and Recommendations for Meaningful Reform.”

In his article, Smith suggests scrapping the Rooney Rule entirely and stopping requiring coaches to seek permission from team owners to apply for positions with other teams. Currently, teams are rewarded when a minority coach or executive is hired by another team in the form of two third-round compensatory picks. 

He also calls for more extensive reviews of hiring practices and stronger punishments for teams not following hiring guidelines.

There are currently only six minority head coaches and nine minority general managers in the NFL, and a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is ongoing. Flores, who is Black, sued the NFL and three teams. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the MInnesota Vikings.

“It’s not like the league hasn’t known the Rooney Rule hasn’t done everything they initially wanted it to do,” SportsCorp’s Marc Ganis, a longtime consultant to the league, told Front Office Sports. “This is why they’ve continued to put the resources they have into the diversity issue. The Rooney Rule is really just the beginning on this issue, and not an end point.”

Howell’s official start date hasn’t been announced, but he’ll likely be in charge by early 2024.

One week since ESPN’s drastic layoffs of prominent on-air talent, sports media is still wondering why certain names got the ax — and what the network will look like moving forward.

Steve Young, Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber, Max Kellerman, and Todd McShay are among the most well-known personalities to have departed ESPN as part of last week’s cuts.

The exit of Van Gundy — who called games on ESPN’s lead NBA team alongside Mark Jackson and Mike Breen — has been particularly puzzling. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who appears on ESPN’s “First Take,” speculated on his SiriusXM radio show that NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN to fire Van Gundy over his criticism of NBA referees.

That theory echoes a sentiment from Bill Simmons, who was also surprised by Van Gundy’s departure. On his podcast on The Ringer this week, Simmons reiterated his previous report that late NBA commissioner David Stern stopped ESPN from putting Stan Van Gundy on its “NBA Countdown” in 2012 because he “didn’t want two Van Gundys” at the network.

New-Look Network

The conspiracies are a symptom of the confusion ESPN’s moves have generated, as well as the uncertainty over its future.

With high-profile spots for NFL and NBA coverage now up for grabs, FOS took a look at how Doris Burke and Mina Kimes could see elevated roles and evaluated the prospect of Shannon Sharpe coming on board.

The NFL is sticking with one of its most important sports betting partners — despite navigating an evolving industry and recently slapping players with season-long suspensions for violating policy.

Genius Sports will continue as the league’s exclusive sports betting data provider through 2028, extending a 2021 deal set to run through 2025.

The NFL had reportedly been seeking $100 million annually for its data rights, and the Genius deal was thought to be worth up to $1 billion in total. In 2022, the NFL became the largest American shareholder in Genius with a 7.7% stake. 

Genius collects and provides relevant information to the NFL’s sportsbook and media partners, essentially powering the very apps that ultimately get players in trouble. On the other hand, Genius monitors suspicious behavior and helps catch nefarious activity. 

The company was one of the first to be alerted when Calvin Ridley bet on his own team in 2021. 

Ridley, who was traded to Jacksonville in November in 2022, was suspended indefinitely during the 2021 season and reinstated in March 2023.

Despite strengthening ties in the betting space, the NFL is doubling down on reinforcing its sports gambling policies to players and team employees.

Staying In The Game

For Genius, keeping the NFL is key: Its competitor Sportradar has deals with the NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS. Genius stock was up more than 25% Thursday after the NFL extension was announced.

In its most recent earnings period, Genius increased its quarterly revenue by 25% year-over-year to $105 million, but widened its group net loss by 129.7% to $127.7 million.