November 12, 2019 Basketball / Litigation / NBA

Inglewood Scores Big with Legal Victory in Clippers Arena Lawsuit

A California judge handed the city of Inglewood a win by ruling against a group of local residents who sought to block the city from selling public land for a $1.2 billion arena for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.

The city of Inglewood accepted $1.5 million for an exclusive negotiation agreement with Murphy’s Bowl LLC, the developer of the proposed arena. The arena is located at a site near Los Angeles International Airport and the land was acquired by the city so that residents would …

October 10, 2019 Basketball / NBA

One Tweet Threatens 30 Years of NBA Expansion into China

The controversy began on October 6, 2019, after Daryl Morey, the general manager of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, tweeted about the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, China. Since the 1980s, the NBA has spent millions of dollars investing in Asian markets, including China, hoping to grow the game of basketball. For example, the NBA has helped build basketball courts, given broadcasting rights for free, and played preseason games in China and Japan.

However, Morey’s tweet threatens years of progress and what has otherwise …

October 10, 2019 Basketball / Gambling / Hockey / NBA / NHL / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

Washington D.C. Arena Will Be America’s First Sports Venue with Sportsbook

Capital One Arena, the home of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, is about to become the first major sports venue in the United States to have a sportsbook.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment, owner of the teams and the arena, announced a partnership with sports betting operator William Hill US. The sportsbook will span multiple floors and be accessible to both non-ticketholders and ticketholders for certain events. Expected to open in 2020, the sportsbook will be open year-round and is accessible to the public from …

October 3, 2019 Fantasy Sports / Gambling / NFL / Sponsorships / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

NFL Officially Partners With DraftKings for Daily Fantasy

On September 26, 2019, the NFL announced that it has selected DraftKings to be its first official daily fantasy partner. Notably, this partnership deal does not include sports betting.

In a joint statement, the companies stated that their partnership includes “exclusive sponsorship of the daily fantasy sports category with access to NFL branding and more.” NFL Chief Revenue Officer Renie Anderson said, “[d]aily fantasy football has been a tremendous vehicle for fans of all types to deepen their engagement with the NFL.” Over 11 …

September 9, 2019 Basketball / NBA

Barclays Center and Brooklyn Nets Have New Owner

On August 16, 2019, it was announced that Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov agreed to sell the Barclays Center and his controlling stake in the Brooklyn Nets to Joe Tsai, co-founder and Executive Vice Chairman of the Alibaba Group. The deal was reportedly worth $3.5 billion.

It was long anticipated that Tsai, one of the world’s 150 richest people, would purchase the Nets as he already owned 49 percent of the franchise. The change in ownership continues what has been an already transformational summer for the Nets. The …

July 17, 2019 Basketball / NBA

The Collective Bargaining Agreement: The Financial and Logistical Guide to the Modern NBA

National Basketball Association (NBA) fans have been glued to their phones lately wondering which players will sign where. The start of the NBA free agency period has become somewhat of a sports holiday when players announce their new (or same) destinations. Teams often resort to buying billboards, hiring celebrities, and even offering players free food for life to convince these free agents to sign with them. The contract and monetary amounts for players can be staggering. Players are accumulating generational wealth and are constantly …

December 4, 2018 Fantasy Sports / Gambling / NBA / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

Let’s Go Live: NBA Announces Partnership to Distribute Real-Time Odds

On November 28, 2018, the NBA announced that sports data providers Genius Sports and Sportradar will have nonexclusive rights to distribute real-time, official data to licensed sportsbooks in the U.S. This is inclusive of both NBA and WNBA games, including preseason, regular season, and postseason play.

This partnership comes on the heels of “live betting” beginning to take off; indeed, at a recent gaming conference in New York, a FanDuel executive noted that in-game betting amounts to approximately 40% of the amount wagered at its …

June 11, 2018 NCAA

Update: Cell Phone Evidence Upheld in NCAA Corruption/Bribery Case

As we have previously reported, former Adidas consultant, Merl Code, NBA agent, Christian Dawkins, and Adidas executive, Jim Gatto, came under fire in 2017 for alleged bribery and corruption practices relating to the NCAA. Specifically, they were accused of facilitating six-figure payments to basketball players and their families in exchange for assurance that the players would go on to attend Adidas-sponsored, NCAA Division I colleges, using Dawkins as an agent. Further accusations indicate that college coaches were similarly bribed in the scheme and encouraged …

June 4, 2018 Basketball

Mother Sues the NBA, Pistons, and Others after Her Son Died During a Game

In the final minute of a game on March 24, 2018, Zeke Upshaw was playing for the Detroit Pistons’ minor-league affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, when he suddenly collapsed on the court and later died. An autopsy of the then 26-year-old basketball player revealed that Upshaw suffered a “Sudden Cardiac Death” (SCD). Now Upshaw’s mother is suing on her sons behalf. According to a statement from the lawyers representing Upshaw’s mother, “Upshaw crumpled face-down on the court in full cardiac arrest. Despite this undeniable dire …

July 20, 2015 NBA / NFL

Growing Up Big and Strong: FanDuel Raises $275M in Financing

On Tuesday, July 14, daily fantasy sports website FanDuel Inc. announced that it brought in $275 million after closing a round of financing, bringing its total venture capital funding to $363 million. The funding is led by private equity firm KKR, Google, and Time Warner, and the company stated that it plans to use the financing to boost customer acquisition efforts, introduce new products, and build its management team.

Additionally, the company noted that several NFL and NBA team owners participated in the funding round …