The NBA’s efforts to resume the 2019-20 season have not come cheap.
The league’s plan to play the final three months of the season at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando will cost it over $150 million, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. That includes the cost of housing all 22 teams at three resorts. It also includes three arenas, seven practice courts, meals, and security, among other costs.
This also does not factor in the lost revenue from games without fans, which is estimated to be over $1 billion. The figures would have been much worse, however, if the NBA hadn’t played the rest of the season at all, so in that sense, $150 million is a small price to pay to avoid more severe losses.
The financial implications of the season are still not apparent. We’ll really start to know more when we see what happens to the salary cap going forward.
