ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser Puzzled by ‘Astronomical’ NBA Contracts: The TV ‘Ratings Are Never Any Good…This Bubble May Burst’

Cynics predicting the demise of the NBA look somewhat foolish right now as teams confidently hand out exorbitant contracts to mid-level players. But as the NBA spends freely, ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser struggled to understand why.

“The most notable thing of all is the astronomical salaries that you get paid for playing in the NBA, even if you’re not a great star,” Kornheiser said on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption.

Superstars such as Steph Curry inked contracts worth more than $50 million annually, but even a middle of the road player like Jarrett Allen landed a $100 million deal over the next five seasons.

“I have no idea where this money comes from,” Kornheiser added. “I know you would say to me, ‘well it comes from TV,’ but the ratings are never any good! So at some point it seems to me this bubble may burst.”

Like most sports, the NBA experienced a dip in viewership during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some point to the league’s social justice messaging as a reason for the ratings drop, but the NBA drastically toned that down in 2021. Other explanations include a shifted schedule because of Covid and unappealing championship matchups thanks to early exits by LeBron and Kevin Durant.

The NBA’s current national TV broadcast deal is worth $24 billion. Despite declining TV ratings, the NBA will reportedly look to triple that amount as they near negotiations for their next broadcast deal, seeking a package worth closer to $75 billion. The NBA is also succeeding on social media, with their digital footprint being valued at $5 billion.

Watch above via ESPN