NBA owners earn 7,000 times more than the average fan, while fans face $600 cost increases under GOP Fiscal Plans, alongside rising streaming & ticket prices.

Today, in time for the kickoff to the 2025 NBA season, Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) released a new study showing that the estimated $700 million of annual income of the average NBA franchise owner is 7,000 times greater than the income of the typical NBA fan, who brings in on average about $100,000 a year. The top 0.1% of highest-income households (of which every owner is certainly a member) will each, on average, receive a tax cut of over $286,000 next year thanks to the tax-and-spending plan enacted by Republicans this summer. Meanwhile, the average fan will face around $600 in higher expenses as modest tax cuts are overwhelmed by higher prices caused by Trump’s tariffs, disastrous energy policy, and significant cuts to public programs. 

“As the NBA season tips off, the economic gap between fans and owners has never been wider, with GOP fiscal policies worsening the divide,” said David Kass, ATF’s executive director. “Fans face rising costs to watch live or even stream games from home, while also experiencing skyrocketing healthcare, grocery, and energy prices due to billionaire-backed Trump policies. We must make billionaires—including NBA owners—pay their fair share while lowering costs for working families. That starts with renewing health insurance tax credits, which Republicans have refused to do, causing the government shutdown.”