Financial instability has been a recurring theme in European basketball for decades. Now, a collapsing local TV model in the United States is exposing vulnerabilities the NBA rarely had to confront. The consequences could reshape how the league is watched and funded.
NBA players always receive their salaries without delay. Occasionally, there may be a player who ends up bankrupt at the end of his career, but this is purely due to personal choices, certainly not because he did not receive the money he was owed.
However, even NBA franchises can sometimes struggle to collect payments from sponsors, especially when sponsors are facing financial difficulties.
We are still trying to understand the effects of the scandal involving Aspiration, which went bankrupt, and its alleged under-the-table payments to Kawhi Leonard.
The local TV crisis in NBA no one is talking about
In the meantime, several NBA franchises have not received the substantial payments that should have been due under their local television contracts.
The American local TV market has been in a severe crisis for some time, to the point that many networks have gone bankrupt or been absorbed for pennies by larger groups trying to revitalize them.
The Main Street Sports Group had brought several of these local networks together under the umbrella of FanDuel Sports Network and had agreements with as many as 13 NBA teams: the Hawks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves, Thunder, Magic, and Spurs.
$180 million unpaid and counting
As reported by the Sports Business Journal, Main Street Sports Group failed to make its January payments after previously missing its December payments to several MLB teams.
Main Street still owed approximately $180 million to the 13 teams contracted with the company, with the Clippers set to receive roughly $35 million for this season (the highest among the franchises with agreements).
If you're wondering how it came to this, well, the answer is quite simple: Main Street Sports Group is in dire financial straits, and even the NBA is not immune to companies in financial distress.
DAZN is the last lifeline
The American company lost approximately $200 million in 2025, and negotiations intended to lead to its sale to DAZN have not yet been completed, leaving Main Street Sports Group in a particularly complex situation.
The sale to DAZN would be essential to maintain agreements with NBA teams, but DAZN has very specific requests and would like to renegotiate contracts with various NBA teams, offering lower figures in exchange for longer contracts.
What happens if FanDuel Sports Network shuts down
Without the DAZN purchase, Main Street is destined to cease operations at the end of this season, as it does not have the financial resources to continue beyond that point.
Within the NBA, however, there is growing concern that FanDuel Sports Network could close its doors as early as this season, leaving the 13 NBA teams that had signed contracts without a local network on which to broadcast their games.
Negotiations with DAZN appear to have reached an impasse, and there do not seem to be any new buyers on the horizon willing to invest in Main Street Sports Group.
NBA teams might recover some losses
NBA teams are already taking remedial action by finding last-minute agreements with other local networks or streaming platforms willing to broadcast the various teams' local games.
The contracts the 13 NBA franchises had with Main Street included a clause that gave NBA teams priority as creditors if Main Street went bankrupt.
So, if the worst were to happen, which seems increasingly likely, the various NBA franchises would have the chance to recover at least some of the money they are owed.
The NBA, for its part, is already preparing a plan to sell the rights to local games en bloc to a streaming giant in the near future, likely to get underway in 2027.
As is often the case, however, it is mainly the fans who will pay the price. American fans are finding it increasingly difficult to follow their teams' games.
International fans have it easier than Americans
Between ESPN, NBC, Prime, and local networks, there are more and more subscriptions to pay for, and costs have risen significantly.
Paradoxically, international fans find it easier to follow all NBA games by subscribing to League Pass, something that many American fans cannot do, as many games in the United States on League Pass are blacked out due to existing agreements with other networks.
Here in Europe, meanwhile, the NBA is continuing to plan its arrival on the continent in 2027, seeking to take away at least some of the historic EuroLeague teams.
We can console ourselves with the fact that even in the United States, NBA franchises are occasionally forced to resort to the courts to recover the money they are owed.
NBA Europe Just Got A Reality Check…
Orazio Cauchi
Orazio Cauchi started his career in basketball at 21, having worked for several years at Sportando as the lead writer of the website. He also covered several live events, including the Euroleague Final Four, Italian Cups, Serie A league finals, and EuroBasket. He also contributed to American media, such as LibertyBallers and Def Pen Hoops. Cauchi joined BasketNews in 2021 as a Staff Writer. Holds a degree in Politics & International Relations.
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