The NBA is finally taking control of its image with broadcast partners

Per multiple reports, Adam Silver was just as frustrated as us with how ESPN covers his sport.

For what feels like the entirety of Adam Silver’s tenure as commissioner, ESPN’s coverage and presentation of the NBA has left a lot to be desired. Talkshow panels consisted of lazy and at-times objectively untrue analysis. Games became podcasts where old coaches and players complained endlessly about the sport because it passed them by. The only thing covered well nationally was the transaction.

Based on recent reports from Andrew Marchand (NY Post) and Ethan Strauss (Substack), Adam Silver has apparently shared my frustrations with the NBA’s biggest partner. What’s interesting is now, with Disney and ESPN apparently bleeding money, Silver is positioned to do something about it. At first glance and given the first dominos to fall, it’s a welcome change.

The more I think about it, though, I can’t help but get a little nervous about what this all means not just for the biggest platforms of the sport I love most, but, frankly, all sports coverage at the highest levels.