The NBA cannot finalize its 2026-2027 television schedule, and the reason is simple: LeBron James has not yet announced where he will play next season.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the situation directly at the CNBC/Boardroom Summit on Thursday. James announced last month that he would leave the Los Angeles Lakers, setting off immediate speculation about his next destination. That uncertainty has left the league, its media partners at NBC Sports, ESPN, and Amazon, and the teams themselves in a holding pattern.
"We have to finish up the schedule, right? And where LeBron plays will affect the schedule," Silver told Squawk Box anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin. "So 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."
Silver was also asked about the possibility of James returning to Cleveland, his original team. He did not dismiss the idea. "On behalf of the league, I think there are certain storylines that may be better than others," Silver said. "But I don't want to prejudge it. Let's see what he does."
Beyond the schedule question, Silver addressed league expansion, noting that Bob Iger is said to be pursuing the Las Vegas expansion team. He also discussed the future of the NBA's local media rights, which the league expects to take control of soon. Both YouTube and ESPN have expressed interest. Silver noted that YouTube is by far the largest streaming platform, and that Netflix has viewership on par with major broadcast networks.
"Audiences are rapidly shifting," he said. "I would love it to be in combination with local broadcast as well because local broadcast still has that reach that some of the streaming services don't have."
Silver also spoke about Caitlin Clark and a recent WNBA game in which she appeared to be struck in the throat by an opponent without a foul being called. It was reported that Silver asked WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to review the play. The call was ultimately reversed and declared a flagrant foul. Silver did not deny contacting Engelbert, and instead expressed frustration with how Clark has been treated in broader public discourse.
"I've come to know Caitlin really well. She's an incredible player and also an incredible person, and she wants to focus on being the best player she can. And she's become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it's incredibly unfair to her," Silver said.
No announcement from James had been made at the time of Silver's remarks.
