The information had not filtered.
It was revealed on Tuesday by AFP.
Shortly after the agreement, at the end of October, between the Basketball League (LNB) and the NBA for the replay of matches in Betclic Elite, the Boulogne-Levallois club had seized the national body.
The reason ?
The leaders wanted to recover part of the amount - 133,000 euros - paid by the NBA.
“A sum that seems derisory compared to the budget of the NBA”, we underline at the club.
If all players in the championship benefit from this unique media exposure, the Mets feel aggrieved.
"The League claims to sell the rights for the French championship but if we look closely, the NBA only communicates about Victor (
Editor's note: Wembanyama, only the matches concerning him are broadcast by the NBA app)
, explains Alain Bouvard, the president of the Mets, at the Parisian.
The League plays on words.
We were not even kept informed of the negotiations.
We just want to be respected.
We are not the only ones asking the question, it interests other clubs.
That's why we made a request to the League's Steering Committee.
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The latter, meeting on November 4, rejected the request.
"The members of the Steering Committee unanimously decide not to redistribute this financial contribution", can we read in the minutes on the LNB website.
“This sum falls into the common pot of the LNB and part will be redistributed equally to the clubs, under marketing and TV rights, at the end of the season, replies the body.
The signed contract concerns a global transfer of the rights of the competitions to the NBA.
".
Get that out of here ⛔
26 points, 5 blocks and counting for @vicw_32 on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/0fEZTG2apq pic.twitter.com/fdoAy9Tv13
— NBA (@NBA) November 20, 2022
The leaders of the Mets, however, decided to seize a law firm to study all possibilities of prosecution.
“We think, we inquire and we refuse nothing but we will only do it if it has a chance of succeeding even if the League seems to be in its right,” assures Alain Bouvard.
This can take the form of legal action or a simple letter of protest.
The rights sold to the NBA concern the broadcast of Betclic Élite regular season matches but also the All Star Game, on December 29 at the Accor Arena, where "Wemby" should be present, the Leaders Cup, from December 17 to 19 February, which opposes the eight best teams of the first leg and including the Metropolitans, currently co-leaders of the championship, should participate, and certain playoff matches.
On the social networks of the NBA, the actions of the native of Chesnay have been viewed several million times.
In addition, the League is currently in full reflection to modify its end-of-season calendar in order to ensure, in the event of the Metropolitans qualifying for the playoff final, the presence of Victor Wembanyama.
The final stages could indeed end on June 24, just hours after the NBA draft where the French basketball prodigy is announced in first place.
Blow for the Mets
Injured during the victory (92-85) against Nanterre on Sunday during the derby, the interior Ibrahima Faye Fall suffered a rupture of the cruciate ligaments.
He will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
The club went in search of a medical replacement but should move without to Nancy, this Saturday during the 10th day of the championship.
A blow for the player and the club, already deprived of winger Armel Traoré, operated on for a meniscus next Monday and absent for 6 to 8 weeks.
"We have to find a player who complements Victor's game," explains a staff member.
It's not simple.
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