Only 2 games! Zion was given up by the NBA

The NBA is a business league after all, and the game is the product they sell. Making money is definitely the first priority, but high-level basketball games are one of their ways to make money.

As for the stars, they are people who "produce" high-level basketball games. You can also understand them as workers on the assembly line. However, some people are more skilled and can carve products out of their own, while others can only ensure that they produce the products themselves.

You may not believe it. NBA players go overseas to play preseason games, such as playing in the NBA China Games. Their entry identities are "cambers". To put it bluntly, they are all performing.

Thinking about this, although the NBA has always denied and focused on cracking down, it is not surprising that the official chooses to open his hands to embrace the gambling industry, and rumors like "betting on football" often appear in the market.

Life is like a play, all depends on acting skills.

But after all, if the NBA wants to make money stably, it is too risky to rely on gambling, and it is too slow to rely on tickets.

The salary cap is increased every year, and it depends on broadcasting contracts.

This year, the NBA signed a new broadcast agreement, the contract lasts for 11 years, totaling $76 billion, so it will greatly increase the team's salary cap and allow players to get higher salaries.

Recalling back then, Conley, who was at his peak, won the first 100 million yuan contract in the league. Many people think it is expensive. Today's stars are always 160 million US dollars in three years. Just like playing, it also makes workers like you and me shed tears of envy.

With such a large broadcast contract, the number of live broadcast games across the United States in the new season will also increase simultaneously. After all, only by allowing more games to be seen by fans can the interests of advertisers be protected.

According to statistics, the NBA in the 2025-26 season had 247 live games across the United States, setting a record in the league.

Among them, not every team can enjoy the treatment of live broadcast across the United States on an equal basis. Whoever plays more live broadcasts in the United States will be the king of traffic.

Lakers and Warriors are still the current NBA traffic kings, with these two teams having 34 live broadcasts across the United States respectively.

The attractiveness of James, Doncic and Curry is still unmatched, which makes people worry about whether the new generation of NBA stars can still support this traffic after James has retired.

In addition, big-market teams or top teams also have traffic inclines, such as the Knicks and the defending champion Thunder, each with 34 live broadcasts across the United States. The number of live broadcasts of the Timberwolves nationwide increased from 18 games last season to 28 games, while the Rockets really "taken on the Rockets", from 3 games to 28 games.

However, the life of the Cookie Team is not that good. The Nets, Raptors, Wizards, Jazz and Pelicans have only 2 live broadcasts in the new season.

Among them, the Pelicans are the most surprising team because they are the team with the popular balloon star "Fat Tiger" Zion.

is also a signal: Zion is really going to be abandoned by the NBA official. The Pelicans have low attention, but they had 30 national broadcasts in the 2019-20 season, just because Zion joined the Pelicans as the No. 1 pick that season.

At that time, the NBA was very optimistic about him, thinking that he had the opportunity to become "the next James", and arranged four national live broadcasts in the first five regular season games of that season.

As a result, Zion was injured and waited until the NBA debut against the Spurs on January 23, 2020. ESPN specially changed the live broadcast of the game across the United States and broadcast Zion's game.

But now, whether Zion has injuries or not, or whether he can still play good games, the NBA doesn't care.

But when I see the new one laugh, I don't see the old one cry.