The NBA doesn’t appear to want to continue it’s relationship with TNT Sports. 98.5 The Sports Hub afternoon host Mike Felger believes the situation can get quite interesting in the coming days.
During Felger & Mazz, the Boston sports host argued that the league would be ridiculous to choose Warner Bros. Discovery over Amazon for the next decade, but said the contract sure sounds as if the cable network has a strong case to make.
“They’re gonna stick with Amazon. And I can feel that … TNT is saying ‘Wait a minute. We have the right of first refusal. We’re matching, and you’re saying we can’t match? You’re gonna stay with Amazon? We’re gonna sue your ass’,” Felger said. “TNT has a contract that says they can match any offer and retain the rights, which they’re doing. If the NBA says no, they’re in a breach of contract … For TNT to not sue them, the NBA is gonna have to give them something. Either just money or a we’ll whole fourth, fifth package to satisfy your demands. It’s like a charity event and you have two people bidding up an item. At some point, you just say ‘Ok, you each win.'”
When Tony Massarotti said that the league will probably just carve out another package, Mike Felger argued that makes things even more complicated.
“Except now these other partners are now gonna say ‘Hey wait a minute. We thought we were gonna be one of three. Now there’s gonna be others?’ It’s a mess. This isn’t a charity where the guy was happy to give more to charity. This is a business … this has a chance to be a bit of a mess.”
After the NBA announced it had not accepted the deal from TNT Sports, the network insinuated it would indeed take legal action.
“We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it,” a statement from the network read. “We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-2026 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action.”
