Early in the current 2009-2010 season, NBA attendance figures show less than a 1% drop from last season.  

Comparing the percentages of total arena capacity sold in all 30 NBA cities, this season's attendance so far registers at 90.137% of total capacity while last season's final attendance was 90.913% of total capacity, for a drop of 0.776%.

In July, the NBA league office projected that this season's basketball-related income would decline between 2.5% and 5%, resulting in the salary cap falling to between $53.6 million and $50.4 million, respectively.

The early attendance report gives some indication of the league's financial condition but far from a complete picture.  Besides being a small sample size with the season less than 10% complete, there are additional factors that will determine the effect that this season's attendance has on basketball-related income.  

For example, some NBA teams have reduced ticket prices as a result of the economic recession.  And early-season attendance may lag behind mid- and late-season attendance as playoff competition intensifies and fan interest peaks.