NBA Lockout: League Disputes Forbes Data, Times Analysis On Profitability

The NBA released a statement late Tuesday disputing league revenue and expense data published by Forbes and compiled in a detailed analysis by Nate Silver of the New York Times' Five Thirty Eight blog. The league has long disputed Forbes' annual valuation and revenue analyses, but doesn't typically go into as much detail as it did in attempting to dispel Silver's piece.

In the statement, the NBA reiterates its claim that the league has not been profitable in a single season under the now-expired collective bargaining agreement. It also disputes specific figures in Silver's piece, most notably that ticket sales have grown only 12 percent over the past 10 years, not the reported 22 percent, and that 11 teams lost at least $20 million in 2009-10, a shocking revelation that may very well have been floated by the league before but largely forgotten.

Silver's study found that the league had earned an average annual profit of 7 percent over the past 10 years.