Adam Silver talked about the possibility of the NBA and NBPA revisiting the current age limit for draft entry despite already completing a new collective bargaining agreement.

"First of all, we absolutely need the union to revisit the current age minimum of 19 years old," said Silver. "But something Michele (Roberts) and I discussed directly, and this is different than last time we negotiated a collective bargaining agreement, is rather than say to you 'talk to us in seven years when we sit back down to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement'. I think she and I both agree it is the kind of issue that needs to be studied in essence outside of the bright lights of collective bargaining. I think both of us, while our traditional positions have been: the league would like to raise the minimum age from 19 to 20, and at least Michele has stated her position is she would like to lower it from 19 to 18.

"I think there's an acknowledgement that the issue is far more complex than that," Silver continued. "It requires all the constituent groups to be at the table. We have to understand sort of where those players are coming from before they get, in the case of the lottery picks, before they get to that one year of college. How is the AAU system working in practice? How is the high school system (working)? What access do coaches have to them once they're in college under NCAA rules. There's the potential loss of eligibility if we have contact with them at a younger age.

"I think rather than standing here and saying 'the league's goal is to get from 19 to 20.' I think I have a better understanding of the issue now as well, as I talk to some of the young players who are coming into our league who have completed only a portion of their freshman year in college and have a better understanding of what the conditions are for them both academically and their basketball requirements.

"It's one of those issues that doesn't lend itself well to one of 50 issues we're trying to get through in a collective bargaining session, but again, I think both Michele and I agree that it's something we should turn back to right away, partly to have a better understanding."

In the 2005 CBA, the NBA and NBPA raised the age limit to eliminate high school players from the draft.

The NBA's new collective bargaining agreement includes a two-way contract for teams to sign players to shuffle between their team and the D-League.

The maximum amount an NBA team can give a two-way contract player is $75,000 guaranteed and up to $250,000 if he spends 30 days on a NBA roster. Nearly every player drafted in the second round last year received more money.

Some agents feel two-way contracts favor teams far more so than players.

Teams can sign a player's rights for $75,000 whereas a player could opt for a $26,000 D-League contract that allows him to be signed by all 30 teams. A 10-day contract in the new CBA will be worth close to $50,000.

Michele Roberts avoided both a lockout and a reduction of the players' share of Basketball Related Income in her first collective bargaining agreement negotiations as NBPA Executive Director.

Roberts approached the NBA to discuss all aspects of the CBA from the start and not just the split of BRI.

"I had to do an autopsy of the prior CBAs to understand, historically, what went on," said Roberts. "And I did have the benefit of some staff that had been there. Having said that, I did not want to repeat the same wars. We actually approached the CBA in a way that was different from prior negotiations. Based on my conversations with people and a review of the affidavits, it was pretty clear that the negotiations typically began by talking about BRI -- the split. And needless to say, that went on indefinitely and indefinitely, and clearly they did not come to any consensus, and we were locked out. We decided that rather than only walk, we would walk and chew gum. We knew all the issues we wanted to discuss. We invited the league to do the same.

"And we put everything on the table and we began to talk about everything. So rather than have everybody in the room for every issue, we had subcommittees. And the committees were working simultaneous. So while we were having discussions about BRI, we were also having discussions about work conditions. We were also having discussions about wearables. We were also having discussions about length of season. All that stuff could happen at the same time, and we were finding consensus. And when you start realizing that you really can agree, when you get to the really tough stuff, it’s a lot easier to find that you can probably agree there, too."

TNT has sold out their commercial slots for the NBA All-Star Game for the third straight year well in advance.

According to Turner Sports Exec VP-Ad Sales Jon Diament, Sunday night's game sold out even earlier than last year's telecast, which at the time was TNT's most lucrative in its 14 years of carrying the game.

"This is the third year in a row we've been in a sold-out position on all three nights, and a lot of that has to do with the caliber of the event," Mr. Diament said. "Advertisers are clamoring for high-profile, live sporting events, and All-Star Weekend is a great environment to roll out new activations."

Diament estimates that between 50% and 75% of All-Star units are sold during the upfront as part of multiyear deals with league sponsors, leaving the remainder for first-timers who buy in scatter as well as a number of activations keyed to the weekend.

Nearly 45% of all NBA viewers are age 35 and under, making them the country's youngest major-league sports constituency, and the audience is by far the most diverse.

LeBron James is the highest-paid player in the NBA in terms of total earnings for the third straight year at $88 million. James has earned more than $600 million since turning pro in 2003. James’ salary this season is $31 million after re-signing with the Cavs this summer for three years and $99.9 million, while he'll make $55 million in off-court earnings.

James added endorsement deals with Intel and Verizon over the last year, while parting ways with Samsung and Tencent. The new partners join Nike, Coca-Cola (Sprite), Beats Electronics and Kia Motor in James’ endorsement stable with James “lifetime” Nike deal potentially worth $1 billion, according to his business manager Maverick Carter.

Kevin Durant will make the second most money this season with earnings of $62.5 million, followed by Stephen Curry at $47.1 million. Curry’s $12.1 million salary ranks No. 83 in the NBA but he will make $35 million off the court.

Rounding out the top five highest-paid NBA players are James Harden ($46.5 million) and Russell Westbrook ($41.5 million).

The average NBA salary is expected to reach $10 million for the 2020-21 season.

While all salaries are increasing, the NBA's superstars will reap the most benefits with five-year contracts worth over $200 million starting this offseason.

The average salary in the NBA for the 13-14 season was $4.9 million.

The average NBA franchise is now worth $1.36 billion, a 3.5-fold increase over the last five years. With the NBA's $24 billion media deal with ESPN and TNT, as well as a new collective bargaining agreement, franchise valuations have never been higher.

The New York Knicks are the NBA's most valuable franchise for the second straight year at $3.3 billion, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers at $3 billion. The Knicks turned an NBA-record $141 million operating profit last season while the Lakers were second at $119 million.

The Golden State Warriors have jumped in value by 37 percent to $2.6 billion and third in the NBA compared to sixth last season. Golden State had the highest average cable TV rating last season and have a season ticket wait list of 32,000.

The Warriors hosted 14 playoff games and during the NBA Finals grossed $10 million per game, before the NBA took their cut.

Operating profits average $31 million per team and could double this season.

Franchise: Current Value / Revenue / Operating Income
1. Knicks: $3.3 billion / $376 million / $141.2 million
2. Lakers: $3 billion / $333 million / $119.2 million
3. Warriors: $2.6 billion / $305 million / $74.2 million
4. Bulls: $2.5 billion / $232 million / $45.5 million
5. Celtics: $2.2 billion / $200 million / $60.1 million
6. Clippers: $2 billion / $185 million / $-11.8 million
7. Nets: $1.8 billion / $223 million / $15.7 million
8. Rockets: $1.65 billion / $244 million / $62.7 million
9. Mavericks: $1.45 billion / $194 million / $40.3 million
10. Heat: $1.35 billion / $210 million / $21.1 million
11. Cavaliers: $1.2 billion / $233 million / $-40.2 million
12. Spurs: $1.175 billion / $187 million / $18.4 million
13. Raptors: $1.125 billion / $193 million / $46.1 million
14. Suns: $1.1 billion / $173 million / $26.3 million
15. Kings: $1.075 billion / $164 million / $18.4 million
16. Blazers: $1.05 billion / $178 million / $41.2 million
17. Thunder: $1.025 billion / $187 million / $-8.4 million
18. Wizards: $1 billion / $155 million / $6.6 million
19. Magic: $920 million / $166 million / $44.7 million
20. Jazz: $910 million / $164 million / $36 million
21. Pistons: $900 million / $172 million / $21.8 million
22. Nuggets: $890 million / $157 million / $21.2 million
23. Hawks: $885 million / $169 million / $19.8 million
24. Pacers: $880 million / $157 million / $23.9 million
25. 76ers: $800 million / $140 million / $18.2 million
26. Grizzlies: $790 million / $155 million / NA
27. Bucks: $785 million / $146 million / $24 million
28. Hornets: $780 million / $158 million / $9.4 million
29. Wolves: $770 million / $154 million / $25.9 million
30. Pelicans: $750 million / $156 million / $16.7 million

Beginning with the 2017-18 season, the NBA Development League (NBA D-League) will be renamed the NBA Gatorade League (NBA G-League) as part of a multiyear expanded partnership announced today by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Gatorade. This marks the first time a U.S. professional sports league has named an entitlement partner.

As part of the partnership, the NBA and Gatorade unveiled a new NBA G-League logo that will be featured across all game balls, team jerseys, oncourt signage, and league digital assets. Additionally, Gatorade will incubate its latest product and equipment innovations into NBA G-League locker rooms, and teams will have the opportunity to collaborate with Gatorade to help players maximize their athletic potential and oncourt performance.

Through the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), the sports fuel company will collaborate with the NBA G-League on programs to enhance player sports performance and recovery. Since 1985, GSSI has helped athletes optimize their sports performance and well-being through research, education, innovation and providing high-caliber sports nutrition science services. GSSI scientists will partner with the NBA G-League on player nutrition and training programs, incorporating the newest technology and innovations in Gatorade testing, product and equipment.

Founded as a league to develop NBA talent, the NBA D-League has become an integral part of the NBA family, with 40 percent of current NBA players having spent time in the NBA D-League and four current NBA head coaches starting as coaches on NBA D-League benches. The league has tripled in size from eight teams during the inaugural 2001-02 season to a record 25 teams for the 2017-18 campaign.

“As one of the most iconic brands in the world and a founding partner of the NBA Development League, Gatorade is an ideal fit for this first-of-its-kind partnership,” said Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO.  “The NBA D-League has prepared hundreds of players for the NBA and Gatorade has always been focused on fueling players to perform at the highest level.  We look forward to collaborating with the renowned GSSI team to enhance player development and our game.”

Charles Kushner, the father of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, is part of a potential purchase group of the Miami Marlins of the MLB.

Charles Kushner also attempted to purchase an NBA team within the past eight years, according to a source.

In 2005, Charles Kushner was sentenced to time in federal prison after he was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering.

Jared Kushner submitted a bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012.

The Brooklyn Nets have secured an $8 million per year jersey sponsorship with Infor.

Info is a closely held software company backed by Koch Industries Inc.

As part of the tie-up, Infor will also provide data analytics and technology to support the team’s business operations, fan experience initiatives and player performance.

“Infor will soon become the main artery of our company, one that connects both business and basketball,” said Brett Yormark, the chief executive officer of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, which manages several sports properties including the Nets.

Info competes with enterprise technology behemoths SAP and Oracle, and was valued at about $10 billion as recently as November.