The Best Deal in Sports History

It was 1976 and the ABA, the home of the red, white and blue ball and the originator of the three point shot was on its last legs in the middle of merger discussions with the NBA, but the owners needed a unanimous vote of the remaining six teams and only four were going into the NBA. The Kentucky Colonels' owner, John Y Brown, was willing to accept a $3.3 million buyout, but the owners of the Spirits of St. Louis were holding out for more. They finally reached a deal: $3 million and an equal share of the TV revenue for as long as the NBA stays in existence.

So, now, more than 25 years and over $168 million later, the deal continues to pay off handsomely. It has survived several court challenges and several attempts by the NBA to buy the Silna brothers, those fortunate former Spirits owners, out. Regularly, like clockwork, the NBA cuts 31 television revenue sharing checks and the Silnas smile all the way to the bank., and remember, the deal lasts as long as the NBA does.