It was a decade that brought a pair of bona fide dynasties, a generational talent who made eight consecutive championship appearances and a franchise that emerged as a model for all sports, both on the floor and off.
The 2010s belonged to the NBA.
It began with LeBron James and “The Decision,” his made-for-TV announcement in July 2010 that he would be “taking my talents to South Beach” and signing as a free agent with the Miami Heat. While roundly panned for turning his choice into an event, James’ adept navigation of free agency brought him four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and two championships. His return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 yielded four more Finals appearances, all against the Golden State Warriors.
$2.66 billion
Average annual payments of the 9-year rights deal the NBA signed with ESPN and Turner Sports in 2014, up from $930 million in the previous deal.
While James and the Cavs came back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to capture the 2016 title, the Warriors cruised to championships in 2015, ’17 and ’18, dropping just three games in the Finals along the way. Still, the rivalry proved a boon to the league, giving the NBA its three most-watched Finals since the Michael Jordan era.
Off the floor, the league and its players led on important issues of social consciousness. A media rights deal signed in 2014 guaranteed $24 billion across nine years. Franchise values soared, with the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets each selling for at least $2 billion and the valuations of every team eclipsing $1 billion.
Then there was the league’s decision to embrace sports betting a full four years before the fall of PASPA, a prescient move eventually followed by all the other major pro sports leagues.
