WNBA legend Cheryl Miller torches league's media rights deal
WNBA legend Cheryl Miller thought the league could have gotten more out of the reported media rights deal with the NBA, NBC and Amazon Prime Video.
The WNBA’s media rights talks came under fire after the NBA’s Board of Governors approved an 11-year, $76 billion deal with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video.
The WNBA would receive about $200 million a year and $2.2 billion over 11 years, The Associated Press reported Thursday. Its current media deal, valued at around $60 million per year, expires after the 2025 season.
The NBA, which owns 60% of the WNBA, negotiated the new deals.
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Cheryl Miller, who will coach the WNBA All-Stars against the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team in Phoenix on Saturday night, ripped the deal while talking to reporters Friday.
"I’m not great with numbers. Lowball," the USC basketball legend said. "That’s a lowball. … Not enough. Not even close. Now, I’m not trying to inflate it a whole lot, but a two is nice, an eight would be better (in terms of billions of dollars). That’s what I’m talking about because they know.
"We’ve certainly come a long way. I’m not about gouging, but it’s a long time overdue, and we’re going to continue to get better and better. And all you have to do is look at college basketball and what’s coming next."
She was asked what the league needs to do to get a better deal.
"We need tough and fair negotiators and visionaries," Miller said. "And we need a bully. We need a bully behind the table that’s willing to say we’ll break up the pieces and go from there. But there’s a certain number bigger than two that we want."
Terri Jackson, executive director of the WNBA players union, also expressed concern with the deal.
"We have wondered for months how the NBA would value the WNBA in its media rights deal," Jackson said in a statement. "With a reportedly $75 billion deal on the table, the league is in control of its own destiny. More precisely, the NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA.
"We look forward to learning how the NBA arrived at a $200 million valuation — if initial reports are accurate or even close. Neither the NBA nor the WNBA can deny that, in the last few years, we have seen unprecedented growth across all metrics. The players continue to demonstrate their commitment to building the brand, and … the fans keep showing up. There is no excuse to undervalue the WNBA again."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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