Rumors

“When the NBA tried to settle with Steve Ballmer, and they said, ‘Hey we have a narrow scope, we have undeniable evidence, we want to just make sure that you have the opportunity to take your punishment, admit wrongdoing, and let us all move on.’ Steve Ballmer — according to everything that we’ve seen now play out in public after that ESPN story two weeks ago — decided to fight,” Torre said on the Dan Patrick Show. “And the NBA said, well in that case, we’re going to do something that perhaps caught Steve Ballmer by surprise. They found a way to settle with Kawhi Leonard and the Players’ Union…They got Kawhi to settle.”

New York Post

Dan Woike: According to a source with knowledge - there is no appeal/arbitration process for the Clippers to pursue with the NBA. It's not a right teams have. The NBPA could've pursued arbitration, but it accepted findings and punishments. They'd need relief elsewhere.

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Shams Charania: The NBA's rulings are final -- there is no formal appeal or arbitration process available to the Clippers with the league. LA's only outlet to fight the punishment is in court.

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Marc Stein: One source briefed on the situation tells @TheSteinLine that there is no avenue within NBA bylaws for the Clippers to pursue an appeal of today’s ruling and penalties. It’s believed that the Clippers will have to mount any appeal or arbitration case through external channels.

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Jake Fischer: Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have long indicated that if the NBA levied any significant punishment against the Clippers, Los Angeles would strongly pursue arbitration. This is a statement from an organization ready to battle with the league office.

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Law Murray: From the LA Clippers On behalf of the LA Clippers: We vehemently reject the NBA's findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence. What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy. For the past year, we cooperated fully and in good faith and we will now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence. We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.

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Nicole Auerbach: NEWS: The SEC bans not just NFL players but NBA and G League too:

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Mike Vorkunov: The NBA has had 13 control sales since 2019. That's 13 times a team has been sold and changed control owners. That blows away the NFL (3) and MLB (5). Lakers appreciated 25% in a year. Timberwolves tripled in value in 5 years. NBA record price nearly sextupled in 7 years.

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The booming business of sports has attracted a flood of private-equity investment, and even the most notable franchises require the influx of cash to keep up in the arms race. As of May, more than 74 North American professional teams had some level of private-equity involvement, according to the CFA Institute, an organization providing finance education to investment professionals. Private-equity-backed consolidators have been responsible for 61% of all mergers and acquisition transactions in the sports industry since 2019, according to Oaklins, a global M&A and financial advisory company.

Los Angeles Times

For private equity — in which investors buy into companies that aren’t available on the public market — sports offers safe harbor. Media deals provide predictable revenue over several years. The NBA’s current deal that stretches to the 2035-36 season is worth $6.9 billion per year. Additional revenue streams with merchandise, sponsorships and ticket sales pile on. Owning an arena, which the Lakers do not, opens the floodgates for concerts and events that add to the revenue.

Los Angeles Times

Sources add that the Clippers, meanwhile, are prepared to go to arbitration depending on the severity of the potential penalties that the league office could order after digesting the investigation's complete findings.

marcstein.substack.com

The NBA and NCAA both specifically asked the CFTC to adopt a minimum age of 21 for users to trade on sports-event contracts, something the NFL also requested.Kalshi and Polymarket allow people as young as 18 to use their platforms. Age requirements on sportsbooks, which are regulated on a state-by-state basis, can vary; FanDuel, for example, requires users in most states to be at least 21, although in Washington, D.C. and Wyoming the minimum age is 18, while DraftKings allows 18-year-old users in many states, but the age requirement goes up to 19 in Nebraska and Alabama, and 21 in Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Virginia. The ATP did not specify a specific age limit, but did say the proposal failed to establish things like age and advertising restrictions.

Front Office Sports

Ben Golliver: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on possible Las Vegas expansion franchise: "Multiple very serious groups are in the process of presenting plans to our bankers. ... It's music to my ears. ... It's very encouraging. No votes have been taken yet."

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HoopsHype: This little game has been played one million times in the 18 hours 🤯

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