June 26, 2024

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The first night of the now two-day NBA draft is just hours away—can the event live up to the hype? … One former NBA player is seeing dollar signs with the league’s pending new media-rights deals. … Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final generated the NHL’s biggest audience this decade. … Front Office Sports Today explores Bronny James’s potential and other NBA draft storylines. … And we look back on the anniversary of Magic Johnson’s historic Lakers contract.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]] and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

The NBA Draft’s New Two-Day Format May Have a Secret Weapon in Round 2 [[link removed]]

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday is NBA draft day, and the league is tipping off a new experiment to increase interest in and hype around its annual rookie selection event.

The two-round NBA draft is expanding to two days this year. The first round will take place Wednesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with TV coverage on ABC and ESPN, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The second round will move across town to ESPN’s Seaport district studio, and out of prime time, airing on ESPN at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon. Other logistical changes include the time between picks in the second round increasing from two to four minutes.

Last year, the one-night NBA draft averaged a record 3.74 million viewers. Like it will this year, ABC also carried the 2023 first round, which had an average audience of 4.93 million. Generational prospect Victor Wembanyama, then a teenager from France, was selected No. 1 by the Spurs, who saw an immediate impact on the bottom line, including a rush [[link removed]] on ticket sales.

This year’s draft class does not have a comparable consensus top pick—which is held by the Hawks—but does include a similar European connection. Many mock drafts have Frenchmen Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher, both 19, going first and second, in varying orders. However, neither are predicted to have the same impact on their new franchises that Wembanyama has had on San Antonio, especially off the court.

The Bronny Factor

In a draft without a can’t-miss top pick, there is still one prospect creating more buzz [[link removed]] than anyone else: Bronny James (above). The son of LeBron James decided to leave USC after one season and turn professional this summer, even though he isn’t guaranteed to be a first-round pick.

After last month’s NBA draft combine, James moved up ESPN’s Top 100 rankings, from No. 98 to No. 54—just barely at the back end of the second round. There will be 58 picks in this draft due to two forfeited selections. Still, fans remain intrigued. BetMGM told The Athletic [[link removed]] that 25.2% of its tickets for the No. 1 overall pick were for James.

The Lakers have selections Nos. 17 and 55. If Los Angeles is looking to pair the father-son duo together, ESPN execs may be hoping it waits until the second round to do so, in turn providing two days of intrigue for draft viewers.

LOUD AND CLEAR Salary Surge Coming?

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

“Some guys are going to make a billion dollars from basketball.”

—Dwyane Wade (above), on the impact that the NBA’s new media-rights deals will have on player salaries. The league is considering 11-year, $76 billion contracts with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon. On Wade’s podcast [[link removed]], The Wine Down, the former player discussed how the new media revenue will increase the salary cap, which last year was $136 million, and could start seeing annual bumps of 10%. “It’s about to get good for these guys,” Wade said.

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Stanley Cup Game 7: Most-Watched NHL Game in U.S. in Five Years [[link removed]]

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Big drama [[link removed]] in the Stanley Cup Final translated to historic television audiences for the NHL.

ESPN said that it averaged 7.7 million viewers on ABC for Game 7 on Monday night between the Panthers and Oilers, representing the league’s most-watched game on any network since a record-setting draw [[link removed]).] of 8.7 million five years ago on NBC for the deciding seventh game of the Stanley Cup Final between the Blues and Bruins. It was also the most-viewed NHL game on record to not involve an Original Six franchise.

Won [[link removed]] by Florida for its first title in franchise history, the entire seven-game Final this year averaged 4.2 million per game, a 58% boost from last year’s five-game tilt between the Golden Knights and Panthers. There is a marked difference between the two years, however, as the Panthers-Oilers games included broadcast distribution on ABC, while last year featured cable-only coverage on TNT and TBS.

Compared to two years ago—a six-game win by the Avalanche over the Lightning also aired on Disney platforms including ABC—the 2024 Stanley Cup Final trailed by 9%.

For the entire four rounds of this year’s NHL playoffs, Disney said it recorded a 60% audience increase from a year ago, when it did not have the Stanley Cup Final, and a 14% boost compared to two years ago.

Canada’s Sportsnet, meanwhile, generated [[link removed]] an average of 7.55 million viewers for Game 7 of the Oilers-Panthers series, representing the network’s most-watched broadcast in its 26-year history. The network’s broader reach number for the game was 15 million—a figure that is 39% of the entire country’s population.

Topping Off

The strong numbers for this year’s championship round concluded a banner season for the NHL that included record attendance and revenue, a series of other ratings increases, and a new arena renovation deal [[link removed]] in Washington.

Monday’s on-ice dramatics, however, were marred somewhat by the emerging news that Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo is abandoning [[link removed]] his efforts to revive the dormant franchise. But the NHL will now look to take its postseason momentum into this weekend’s draft, which will be held [[link removed]] at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY More NBA Draft Storylines and Drama

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Beyond some potential Day 2 hype thanks to Bronny James, the NBA draft expanding beyond its traditional single-night format could also encourage major trades, with a breather between the first and second rounds. Front Office Sports reporter Alex Schiffer joins the show to break down the big storylines ahead of the main event.

🎧 Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

TIME CAPSULE June 26, 1981: A Contract Much More Than Magic

USA TODAY Sports

On this day 43 years ago: Lakers superstar Magic Johnson signed a 25-year, $25 million contract with team owner Jerry Buss. Designed as a “lifetime” deal, the pact at the time was both the longest and richest player contract in sports history, and contemplated Johnson moving into management after his retirement.

Almost from the outset, though, the contract became both a problem and an anachronism. Just six months after he signed the deal and still years away from the contract’s start date in 1984, Johnson demanded [[link removed]] a trade in a clash with then Lakers coach Paul Westhead. Other stars of the era, such as the Celtics’ Larry Bird and the 76ers’ Moses Malone, soon earned far more on an annual basis. By ’85, Johnson was lamenting [[link removed]] the record-level deal [[link removed].] worth up to $30 million for Knicks rookie Patrick Ewing. After a banner ’86–87 season in which Johnson won league MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and led the Lakers to a title over the archrival Celtics, Johnson declared [[link removed]] himself “underpaid.”

In 1988, Johnson and Buss restructured [[link removed]] the deal to condense the final $21 million owed into seven years instead of 21. Johnson’s HIV diagnosis in ’91 then dramatically altered the final chapters of his playing career. But just as Johnson was an innovator on the court and with contracts such as the ’81 deal, he’s now a trailblazing businessman with ownership interests in MLB’s Dodgers, the NFL’s Commanders, WNBA’s Sparks, and Los Angeles FC of MLS.

Several modern-day basketball superstars were also drafted into the NBA on this day including LeBron James (2003), Derrick Rose (’08), and Joel Embiid (’14).

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Conversation Starters Lindsey Nelson Stadium at Tennessee is receiving a $95.8 million upgrade, including expanded seating to 7,600, premium seating, wide concourses, and a third level of porches, aiming to create one of college baseball’s most intimidating environments. Look here [[link removed]]. The NHL’s jersey partnership with Adidas has wrapped up, and now Fanatics is set to take over [[link removed]] with a 10-year deal starting in the 2024–25 season. Think you can make a dynasty out of a small school? We’re giving away two copies of the highly anticipated EA Sports College Football 25 video game. Enter here [[link removed]] for a chance to win. See rules here [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks JJ Redick’s Hypocritical Potshots at the ‘Engagement Farming Industry’ [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Redick ripped the sports media that spurred his meteoric rise. NHL Faces a Reset After Meruelo’s Missteps and Coyotes Collapse [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Alex Meruelo abandons his efforts to reactivate the franchise. Bay FC GM Abruptly Departs Halfway Through Team’s First Season [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The NWSL expansion team is 14 matches into its inaugural campaign. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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