Malcolm Turner began his job as president of the NBA D-League in November, taking over a league that hopes to expand from its current 18 teams to 30 clubs in order to create one-on-one affiliations with each of the NBA’s 30 teams. It’s an aggressive plan for the D-League, which is in its 14th season, but the expected growth is part of what attracted the 43-year-old Turner to leave his job as managing director of golf at Wasserman Media Group to run the organization.
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I stayed attuned to the D-League story from afar. While a young league, it has enjoyed a fair amount of growth and it is one of the more interesting growth opportunities in our industry. That was a big point of attraction. In my former life, I grew up in the business consulting for leading brands and properties, and [now I] look to employ that same approach. There is tremendous upside.”
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Photo by: STEVEN FREEMAN
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First impressions: The on-court product is exceptional. Overall, almost 30 percent of current NBA rosters have D-League experience. Beyond that, I have seen the NBA owners’ commitment. There are 18 teams, and 17 have single affiliations. … The D-League is the R&D lab for the NBA. That was of great interest to me, and it is unique to have a controlled environment to test and to improve the sport itself.
Timetable for expansion: We don’t have a set timing. Candidly, I am getting up to speed on the core business and associated opportunities. I do know that we are going to be very thoughtful and measured on how we grow. While there is great demand, we want to make sure we grow on a sustainable model. There is no question of the ultimate goal for a 30-for-30 model.
Pursuing a D-League naming-rights deal: As we expand and build more of a national footprint, that enables us to have a conversation. We are already talking about entitlement. The league’s underlying business is quite healthy; we have a record 19 partners. Meanwhile, you have the overlay of the value we have been able to create as a media property. Those two go hand-in-hand. The time is now to have credible conversations.
Financial stability: The league is profitable. Right now, half of the teams are profitable. We want to make sure we are growing for the long term. My first order of business is to follow the money and understand the economics and the league’s business. We are not going to expand for expansion’s sake. Franchise values are certainly rising. It is early to peg valuations. We know we have a healthy product. NBA teams are responding accordingly, and we expect values to continue to rise.
