TNT matches Amazon NBA rights deal as potential legal armageddon looms
NY Post
TNT and the NBA could be on the precipice of a legal battle royale.
TNT, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery, announced Monday that it intends to match an NBA rights deal to keep broadcasting the league.
ESPN is retaining the NBA Finals in the NBA’s next rights package, and NBC and Amazon had emerged as new partners.
While TNT’s statement did not specify which bid it was matching, a source confirmed to The Post that TNT matched Amazon’s rights package.
“We’re proud of how we have delivered for basketball fans by providing best-in-class coverage throughout our four-decade partnership with the NBA. In an effort to continue our long-standing partnership, during both exclusive and non-exclusive negotiation periods, we acted in good faith to present strong bids that were fair to both parties,” TNT’s statement said.
“Regrettably, the league notified us of its intention to accept other offers for the games in our current rights package, leaving us to proceed under the matching rights provision, which is an integral part of our current agreement and the rights we have paid for under it.”
The “Underwear Olympics” are set to begin just as the Winter Olympics are ending.
The irony of tanking is it doesn’t work. Sure, there are a few exceptions in the lottery era, most notably involving Gregg Popovich, whose long-term damage to the NBA includes being the Godfather of tanking, load management and condescension toward the media. But if you look at the recent history of champions and finalists, the best path to ultimate success is smart drafting and smart trading, not losing for a better draft position.
TAMPA — Some questions still linger about Ben Rice’s future defensively, entering a year in which he is set to become the regular Yankees first baseman.
Brian Daboll received interest from across the NFL during this year’s coaching carousel.
Patrick Mahomes is taking a haircut to help his team in 2026.
It will be another several months before Mavericks fans see Kyrie Irving on the hardwood again.
Tony Clark is stepping down, and it comes with a twist no one saw coming.
Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is stepping down from his post in a move that head coach Matt LaFleur said left the team feeling “disappointed.”
When Chris Paul signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Clippers last July, many in the industry that this was the perfect retirement tour.
MILAN — Longtime friends J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck hop over the boards together as Team USA’s top penalty-killing pair at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
The Knicks have an immediate chance coming out of the All-Star break to set a strong tone for the second half of their season — in either direction.
MILAN – Participating in his second Olympic Games, Gabe Landeskog prefers to remain in the here and now.
Mark DeRosa knew if Team USA could get Aaron Judge in the fold for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, other American position players would come.