By Jeph Duarte | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-07-18 19:00:00
NBA已经准备好公布新赛季的赛程，其中包括整个赛季的25场全美直播，涵盖了揭幕周以及备受欢迎的圣诞大战。如果篮球之神火力全开，圣诞佳节期间我们将看到迈阿密对阵密尔沃基、76人迎战凯尔特人，以及马刺重返麦迪逊广场花园。
但现在只有一个问题。勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 尚未宣布他下赛季将在哪里效力。
NBA价值760亿美元的电视转播合同目前处于停滞状态，原因是一位41岁的老将迟迟不肯透露自己想去哪里打球。
联盟总裁亚当·肖华 (Adam Silver) 今天承认了这一点：在詹姆斯做出决定之前，联盟无法敲定2026-27赛季的赛程。各支球队在打电话，各大转播网络也在打电话。而得到的答复一律是“我们在等詹姆斯”。
了解背景后，这个故事会变得更加离奇。詹姆斯是NBA现役最年长的球员，即将迎来他的第24个赛季。但他依然是联盟中最顶尖的球员之一：他刚刚带领湖人队杀入季后赛，随后便宣布离队。据报道，目前有三家俱乐部正在争夺他。
这就是为什么一名球员能让一台价值760亿美元的机器停摆。NBA与迪士尼、NBC和亚马逊签订的11年合同刚刚执行了一个赛季。这些合作伙伴瓜分了固定数量的黄金时段资源：揭幕战、圣诞大战以及重要的全美直播窗口。詹姆斯曾创纪录地参加过20次圣诞大战，且过去19个赛季从未缺席。无论他签约哪支球队，该队都会瞬间成为圣诞大战球队、揭幕周球队，以及拥有25场全美直播的球队。在他签约之前，这些黄金席位一个都无法分配。整个赛程表的制定，都取决于一个人的群聊动态。
算一算这笔等待的账。11年760亿美元，相当于每年约70亿美元的媒体版权收入，而作为这份合同定价基础的赛程表现在却无法制定。因此，一个年收入70亿美元的联盟的总裁，不得不接受采访，礼貌地请求他旗下30支球队之一的一名雇员赶紧做决定。
没有其他任何联盟是这样运作的。NFL围绕球队制定赛程，而NBA则围绕一个人制定赛程。
— 阿卡什·古普塔 (Aakash Gupta) (＠aakashgupta) 2026年7月17日
亚当·肖华谈詹姆斯的自由市场决定：
“我希望他能快点宣布决定，这样我们好把赛程定下来。因为正如你们所能想象的，球队在催我们，转播商也在催我们，大家都想把赛程敲定。但他的决定会影响我们如何安排赛程，如何安排揭幕周、圣诞大战等等。”
听起来很奇怪，最年长的球员竟然成了赛程制定的绊脚石，但只要听到这个球员是詹姆斯，一切就合理了。如果/当他最终与某支球队签约时，詹姆斯将迈入他的第24个赛季。说实话，没有“詹皇”的圣诞节是不完整的。他已经创纪录地参加了20次圣诞大战，并且目前已连续19个赛季出战。
话虽如此，联盟的选择之一是按照詹姆斯即将退役的情况来规划赛程。这对于这位有史以来最伟大的球员之一来说确实有些不合时宜，但话又说回来，联盟为了一个球员而让一切停滞，这真的合适吗？
毫无疑问，他的签约是联盟的一件大事，但也许詹姆斯把这个过程拖得有点太长了。他心里一定清楚自己想去哪里，而且任何球队都准备好了为他隆重地铺上红地毯。虽然我们理解这极有可能是他的最后一舞，但他其实可以让自己的计划推进得更迅速一些。
各位马刺球迷，你们怎么看？欢迎在下方评论区分享你的观点。
由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
查看原文：Open Thread: LeBron James is single-handedly holding up the NBA’s nationally televised schedule
Open Thread: LeBron James is single-handedly holding up the NBA’s nationally televised schedule
The NBA is ready to roll out their schedule featuring 25 national TV broadcasts throughout the season including opening week and the ever popular Christmas matchups. If the basketball gods are pumping on all cylinders, the yuletide will showcase Miami facing off against Milwaukee, the 76ers playing the Celtics, and the Spurs returning to Madison Square Garden.
There’s just one problem. LeBron James has yet to announce where he will play next season.
The NBA’s $76 billion TV deal is currently on hold because one 41-year-old won’t say where he wants to work.
Adam Silver, the commissioner, admitted it today: the league cannot finish the 2026-27 schedule until LeBron James picks a team. Teams are calling. Networks are calling. The answer to all of them is “we’re waiting on LeBron.”
The story gets wilder when you know the context. LeBron is the oldest player in the NBA, entering season 24. He’s also still one of its best: he just dragged the Lakers to the playoffs, then announced he was leaving. Three franchises are reportedly in the running.
Here’s why one player freezes a $76 billion machine. The NBA is one season into an 11-year deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon. Those partners split a fixed pool of premium inventory: opening night, Christmas Day, the big national windows. LeBron has played on Christmas a record 20 times, the last 19 seasons straight. Wherever he signs instantly becomes a Christmas team, an opening week team, and a 25-game national TV team. Until he signs, none of those slots can be assigned. The whole calendar is downstream of one man’s group chat.
Run the math on what’s waiting. $76 billion over 11 years is roughly $7 billion a year in media money, and the schedule that deal was priced on can’t be built. So the commissioner of a $7-billion-a-year league is doing interviews politely asking an employee of one of his 30 teams to please make up his mind.
No other league works this way. The NFL schedules around teams. The NBA schedules around a person.
— Aakash Gupta (＠aakashgupta) July 17, 2026
Adam Silver on LeBron’s free agency decision:
“I would like him to make his announcement already, so he can finish the schedule. Because as you might imagine, the teams are calling us, the networks are calling us, and everybody wants to lock in the schedule. But it will influence how we set the schedule, how we set opening week, Christmas Day, etc.”
It sounds strange that the oldest player is the hold up until one hears that player is LeBron. If/when he does sign with a team, James enters his twenty-fourth season. Truth be told, it wouldn’t be Christmas without King James. He’s played a record 20 Christmases, and currently 19 seasons straight.
That said, one option is for the league plan as if LeBron was retiring. It isn’t befitting of of one of the greatest to ever play the game, but then again, is it appropriate for the league to hold up for one player?
Make no mistake, his signing is a major event for the league, but perhaps James is milking it a little too long. He has to have an idea of where he wants to go, and any team is prepared to graciously roll out the red carpet. While understanding that this is most likely his laster hurrah, he could be more expedient with his plans.
What do you think, Pounders? Share in the comments below.
By Jeph Duarte, via Pounding The Rock