The NBA generally doesn't have problems with any of its controlling owners. Any issues tend to be hashed out at the Board of Governors meetings, and Commissioner Adam Silver has always made it his mission to form relationships with the 30 owners around the NBA. However, New York Knicks owner James Dolan has not been too pleased with the leadership and direction in which the league has been heading.
Dolan has always been outspoken about several issues around the league, as his latest gripe revolves around the league’s revenue sharing system, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
To create a sense of balance across the league, the NBA has tried to distribute money evenly by allocating funds from big markets to organizations in smaller markets. Essentially, this means a team like the Knicks can't maximize their earnings from the league's revenue-sharing system since smaller teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets get equal payment.
Dolan has commonly expressed frustration with this system, and he has called out the NBA for what he refers to as a “lack of transparency” on how the league uses its share of the increased revenue over the years. The latest NBA media rights deal that was signed before the start of the 2024-25 season is only going to increase the amount of money coming into the league's pockets.
While other teams and owners continue to vote in favor of changes made by the NBA and WNBA, like the recent expansion on the women's side, Dolan continues to vote against these decisions due to the league's unwillingness to answer his questions.
Along with his complaints about the NBA's revenue-sharing system, Dolan has also been critical of how the league handles operations on the business side as well.
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Madison Square Garden, home of the Knicks and Dolan's New York Rangers in the NHL, is unlike other NBA arenas. It is the hardest to access because the league’s distributed credentials are no good there, according to Vorkunov. To access The Garden and different events that are taking place there, team, league and union employees need new credentials every time they are to enter the premises.
Dolan has even gone as far as presenting the NBA Board of Governors with a proposal to adopt a media code of conduct for reporters that could essentially revoke credentials and access if strict rules were broken. Of course, this is something that the league hasn't pushed forward in the wake of Dolan's ongoing frustrations.
All of these constant complaints from Dolan have been voiced to the league through letters and even a lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors in 2023. The Knicks owner has constantly opted not to attend the league's annual meetings, stepping down from his positions on the NBA Board of Governors' influential advisory/finance and media committees.
Dolan has been the chairman of Madison Square Garden since 1999, operating the Knicks and Rangers for the last two-and-a-half decades.