In a time of hyper-politicalization, where social media can spur an entire movement, it’s tempting to see every controversy in the NBA as a new example of black workers demanding better pay or white owners blaming their troubles on a supposedly entitled workforce. That temptation should be resisted.
Runstedtler’s book resists this alluring, simplistic narrative, and is one of the best and most politically truthful books on basketball to be written in recent years. It is also a reminder that, in a league where stars make hundreds of millions of dollars and can choose where to play after their rookie contracts are up, the relationship between management and players is complicated. In the late seventies, when ratings began to decline and some franchises struggled with attendance, it was the league’s supposedly entitled players who were blamed for the problems, not its system of salary caps or its antiquated business model.
The NBA has never been a place where it’s easy to predict how a season will end, but the last decade has certainly seen some changes. The league’s financial fortunes have rebounded, and there are now more and more ways for fans to follow the action. There are analytics-driven podcasts and livestreams, as well as the old standbys of local broadcasters and national outlets.
One thing that has stayed the same is the All-Star break, where the league’s star players gather for an event featuring three-point contests and a skills course. This is an important break from the regular season for players and their teams, but it’s also a showcase for the league’s brand.
As far as rules go, the most significant change was made in the 1950-51 season when the BAA was renamed the NBA and teams were divided into two divisions of six teams each. The top three teams from each division qualified for the playoffs, where they met in a best-of-3 division semifinals and the winners faced the top team in the finals in a best-of-5 series.
The other big change came in 2003 when the first round of the playoffs was extended to a best-of-seven series. It was a move meant to reduce the likelihood of upsets and make it easier for higher seeds to win.
The NBA has changed a lot since the days when it was “the gangster league.” Its biggest stars now earn hundreds of million of dollars and can chose to play for any franchise they want. But there are still some of the same issues that plague sports in general, and the NBA is no exception. So, as the league prepares to enter its next round of contract negotiations, it’s important for fans to treat every claim about alleged bad behavior or a culture of entitlement with a healthy dose of skepticism. It has earned it.