Business Decision with Mike Vorkunov

The New York Knicks completed the most unbelievable comeback ever. And it wasn't just what Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, KAT and Co. pulled off in Game 4 of the NBA Finals! The Knicks won their first NBA title in 53 years because of an unlikely rise from the bottom. Two former Knicks beat writers and NBA reporters — Mike Vorkunov and Yaron Weitzman — talk about how they got there. The Knicks beat the...

You could buy a piece of the New York Knicks and Rangers soon. No, really. MSG Sports, the owners of the NBA and NHL teams, is planning to spin each of those teams off into separate publicly traded companies. That means Knicks and Rangers stock could soon be available on the stock. But why is this happening. Mike Vorkunov , a reporter for The Athletic, and Yaron Weitzman , a NBA reporter and autho...

What's going to happen to the Los Angeles Lakers? That's the $10 Billion question around the NBA right now. The Lakers are undergoing a makeover. Maybe on the court, as they build around Luka Dončić, but definitely in the front office and through the organization. That's because of the guy who bought them last year: Mark Walter, the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Will Walter try to make the Lak...

The NBA seems set to expand. It's definitely exploring it. But is it good for the league? On this episode of Business Decision, Mike Vorkunov talks to The Ringer's Howard Beck to see if the NBA should expand and why it could hurt the league. Not financially. The NBA will make plenty of money. But if it will make the basketball worse. The part no one is talking about for the basketball league. Howa...

The Athletic's national NBA reporter, Mike Vorkunov, looks at how a new shoe company goes from new to an NBA court. On this episode of Business Decision, Mike talked to Stria Sports founder Eric Porter and Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond about how they are trying to build the company into something big and sustainable. Porter founded the company a few years ago and Drummond, a two-time Al...

Mike Vorkunov talks to The Athletic's lead WNBA reporter, Sabreena Merchant, about the big news in the WNBA and women's basketball: the new CBA. Mike and Sabreena get into the details of the new CBA, what it means for the league, and what there is to like and worry about for the players. We discuss how the WNBA will operate with the new collective bargaining agreement in place and if either side m...

While everyone is talking about NBA expansion, Portland Trail Blazers fans and local politicians are fighting to keep the NBA team in the city. It's more serious than you know. The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov talks to Oregonian sports columnist Bill Oram about the battle to keep the Trail Blazers from leaving Portland. It's an interesting story that mixes the delicate power dynamics involved when a n...

It's time for the NFL's head coaching carousel! Where NFL head coach openings get filled. But by who? And how does it all work? On this episode of Business Decision, Mike Vorkunov talks to Sports Illustrated NFL writer Conor about how head coaches really get hired in the NFL, who makes the decision and why. They explain where John Harbaugh could go and why the Baltimore Ravens now have the best jo...

Is this year the Victor Wembanyama takes over? Are the LA Clippers going to get hammered? Is NBA expansion finally coming? What's the latest reason why the Oklahoma City Thunder could dominate the league? Welcome to 2026, now here are the 5 biggest questions the NBA is facing in this new year. On this episode of Business Decision, Mike Vorkunov, a NBA reporter for The Athletic, and James Herbert,...

It's Week 18 in the NFL and the big question now is which team will Taylor Swift fans root for to win the Super Bowl since the Chiefs are done? On this episode of Business Decision, New York Times NFL reporter Ken Belson gives his Super Bowl picks and discusses how power really works in the league. It flows through Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and NFL c...

Former NFL executive Karim Kassam (Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars) and ex-Washington Wizards assistant GM Brett Greenberg discuss how teams use data, AI and analytics in sports on this episode of Business. On this episode, Mike Vorkunov, a NBA and basketball business reporter, explains why the jocks vs. nerds narrative is wrong and talks to two former pro sports execs about how data and...

Why does it feel like every single part of college sports is changing, and that everything is for sale now? Maybe because it's true. It's not just NIL that has changed life at your favorite college basketball and college football schools. Those universities and athletic departments are constantly seeking money everywhere now. UNLV just sold a jersey patch for its uniform before the NCAA even appro...

Youth sports is now a $40 billion business. Is that a good thing? Mike Vorkunov talks to former New York Times columnist Harvey Araton about how youth sports has changed as it became a big business with heavy investment from private equity. There's more money to be made now, but is that good for the kids and parents involved? Harvey's novel on the pressures of youth sports — The Goal of the Game —...

What do you know about Overtime? It runs one of the most interesting leagues in sports in OTE and have figured out how to reach young audiences that every other league is struggling to reach. On this episode of Business Decision, Mike Vorkunov talks to Overtime CEO Dan Porter about OTE, how they've changed over the years, how they have success on social media and reaching young people. Dan discuss...

Something big happened in the sports business world this week and nobody is talking about it. But these sports experts are! On this week's episode of Business Decision, Mike Vorkunov talks to Sportico's Jacob Feldman about why a famed investment bank bought one of sports' most prominent player agencies. Goldman Sachs took a majority stake in Excel Sports, giving it control of the agency that repre...

The WNBA is in a precarious place and facing its most important offseason ever. The WNBA CBA talks between the league and the players union will determine where the WNBA goes next, and even when they can begin its 2026 season. Who has the upper hand: the league or the WNBPA? Does the union need Caitlin Clark to voice her power? That and more on this new episode of Business Decision with The Athlet...

Why was a federal courthouse the most important place to be so far this NBA season? Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Heat guard Terry Rozier were both arrested and charged by federal law enforcement as part of an illegal sports gambling and rigged poker ring that involves the mafia. Two days into the NBA season! It's unprecedented. What does it mean for the NBA? How does the league respond? Mike...

The best way to understand the NBA this upcoming 2025-26 season is by knowing who holds the power around the league. It's not just about being in control, it's about having the juice. The Athletic's Fred Katz comes onto the show to discuss which people in (and outside) the NBA will have the most impact on the league this upcoming season and dictate where the league goes in the short and long term....

Sports media is changing quickly, even for the fans who want to get into it. Jonathan Macri is a Knicks fan who turned his love for the team into Knicks Film School, now a thriving Knicks media ecosystem and his full-time job. Mike Vorkunov talks to Jonathan about how he did it, what it says about sports media now and how legacy media is trying to be more like him than he is trying to be like them...

Have you heard of Project B? It's got a lot of money, it's trying to sign stars, it might one day compete with the WNBA, it could be a problem for Unrivaled, and it's talking about starting a men's basketball league one day that could also be an issue for the NBA. Oh, it also used to have Maverick Carter — a longtime business partner for LeBron James. What should we make of this new project and wh...

Buying a European basketball club is the new trend for American investors. Underdog Global Partners founder Matt Rizzetta explains why he bought Napoli, how he thinks NIL could become a billion dollar industry for European basketball, and how he sees the NBA's European project. Plus, who's got the better pizza: New York or Napoli ? And watch it on YouTube

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier gave the WNBA one of its craziest days ever by ripping commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league, but what did it actually say about the league? Mike Vorkunov and Ben Pickman , The Athletic's WNBA reporter, digest the most important 4-and-a-half minutes in WNBA history and what it means for a future lockout, CBA negotiations, Engelbert's job, and Unrivaled.

Steve Ballmer isn't just the richest owner in the NBA, he's the richest owner in sports. He's one of the richest men in the world. Period. The Kawhi Leonard/Aspiration scandal has also opened up another touchy subject: is he also too rich for the NBA? The Information's Sara Germano comes on to talk about wealth inequality in sports and how pro sports is trying to figure out the sheer amount of mon...

Sports gambling rules the sports world. It's everywhere. Ads are all over the place. Teams and leagues are in business with the sportsbooks. But sports gambling scandals are popping up and players have been suspended and banned. Wall Street Journal reporter Jared Diamond and Mike Vorkunov discuss how sports gambling is inescapable and how it has changed sports, and all the investigations and probl...

The debut episode of Business Decision! Mike Vorkunov discusses the newest Tom Brady saga with guest host Yaron Weitzman and they talk about why Brady epitomizes the problems the NFL and other pro sports leagues will face going forward to manage its relationships with its biggest stars. Then, a deep dive into the Kawhi Leonard/LA Clippers case that is being investigated by the NBA for cap circumve...