Rumors

Tim Reynolds: Wednesday: Amazon exclusively reveals groups for Emirates NBA Cup 2025. Video with NBA on Prime analyst Blake Griffin and Chet Holmgren of the NBA champion Thunder posts at Noon ET at @NBAonPrime across X, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Facebook. Also: 'Sports on Prime' YouTube.

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What I slowly started to realize was: they had no idea what they bought. Zero idea—in terms of financials, books, future three- to five-year plans. How this works. How this functions. The broadcast part of it especially. I bring that up because the broadcast part links directly to that bonus situation. They bought the team and didn’t realize there was going to be this gap year before Amazon jumps in—where we're actually going to lose money on broadcast, no matter what. They got in, they had big plans early on, and then someone tapped on the door and said: ‘Um, did you know we're going to lose tens of millions of dollars on broadcast this year, just because of syncing and we aren’t on Amazon yet?’ And they did not know that. And everything changed from then."

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Jovan Buha: First — no, I was not fired by The Athletic. My contract was set to expire in August, and I intentionally structured it that way to become a free agent this summer. It’s a big summer with major movement on the NBA media side, with NBC and Amazon entering the mix. I wanted that freedom and flexibility. Around December or January, I started really thinking about what I wanted next. The more I thought about it, the more I enjoyed speaking into this microphone, doing these episodes, and connecting with you all during these lives. And the less I was enjoying the beat life — the writing. For me, two big things looking ahead were: I wanted to take the next step and level up, and I wanted to travel less and write less. I wanted to focus more on podcasting, TV, and digital multimedia content. That includes continuing Buha’s Block, building out my YouTube channel, and prioritizing content creation over the grind of beat reporting.

YouTube

Jovan Buha: No, I was not fired by the Athletic. My contract was set to expire in August and I intentionally structured my contract to be a free agent this summer because it is a big summer with NBA movement on the media side with the new TV players of NBC and Amazon, coming into the mix. So, I wanted to have that freedom and flexibility for this summer. So, around December, January, I really started to think about that and where I wanted to be. And the more I thought about it, the more I was enjoying this and speaking into this microphone and doing these episodes and doing these lives with you guys.

YouTube

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire between LeBron James and Amazon. The growing business relationship between the basketball superstar and the nation’s largest retailer could lead to King James eventually joining Prime Video’s upcoming coverage of the NBA, sources tell Front Office Sports. The 40-year-old James humorously teased retirement in a new “What’s Next?” commercial for Prime Day 2025 from July 8–11. James (who drew rave reviews for his costarring role in the 2015 comedy Trainwreck) collaborated closely with Prime on creating the 60-second commercial, from brainstorming comedic bits to picking Phil Collins hit “In the Air Tonight” for his lounge-singer spoof.

Front Office Sports

Mike Vorkunov: The NBA has considered launching a local League Pass, but that likely wouldn’t be until the 2026-27 season at the earliest. It has spoken to Amazon, Apple, YouTube, DAZN, Disney, and Peacock about that idea, and has also considered doing that itself through the NBA App.

bsky.app

Miles McBride: As I build my legacy off the court, I’m proud to announce my first children’s book! Deuce: The Champion of Friendship is available now on Amazon. Get yours now! 📚

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The NBA has considered launching a local League Pass, but that likely wouldn’t be until the 2026-27 season at the earliest. It has spoken to Amazon, Apple, YouTube, DAZN, Disney, and Peacock about that idea, and has also considered doing that itself through the NBA App.

New York Times

James, who spoke to The Associated Press during an interview about starring in a new commercial called "What's Next?" for Amazon, emphasized that maintaining his body remains essential to performing at the highest level. "I have a lot of time to take care of my injury, my knee, the rest of my body and make sure I'm as close to 100 percent as possible when training camp begins in late September," James told the AP.

ESPN

Where the ratings land ultimately has no impact on the NBA’s short-term bottom line, according to those who work in the NBA and TV industries. The league signed its current television deal in 2014 and what it receives this season is a fixed payment. What it receives next season, no matter how many people watch Pacers-Thunder, is already settled. The league signed its upcoming 11-year media rights deals with NBC, ESPN and Amazon, for a total of $75 billion, last summer.

New York Times

What does your day-to-day look like now that you’re not in the NBA? Blake Griffin: I still try to work out. It’s not quite as much as I used to but I still try to stay active. I have a production company that I started years ago. I go into the office there. I’m all over the place. I am looking forward to doing the Amazon stuff and have a set routine. We’ll start out on Fridays and then go to Thursdays when Thursday Night Football ends. I’m excited to have that structure and be around basketball and be able to talk about the one thing I truly love.

USA Today

Front Office Sports: Exclusive: Michael Grady is expected to become Amazon’s top WNBA announcer in addition to calling NBA games for Prime Video, sources tell FOS. In a unique arrangement, it’s possible that Grady could call both NBA and WNBA games for Amazon and NBC.

x.com

NBC will bring back “Roundball Rock,” its beloved sports theme song, next season when the network begins its 11-year media rights deal to air NBA games. Music composer and radio and TV personality John Tesh wrote “Roundball Rock,” which became popular during NBC’s coverage of the league from 1990 to 2002. Fans will hear the song again for NBA coverage across NBC and Peacock after the league signed a blockbuster 11-year, $77 billion deal with ESPN, Amazon and NBC, beginning in 2025-26.

New York Times

Amazon continues to add high-profile talent as it gets into business with the NBA. Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker are expected to be part of Amazon Prime Video’s NBA coverage, sources told Front Office Sports. The deals are not finalized. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

Front Office Sports