The operating margin of the NBA was about five percent in 2009-10 and has been about seven percent during the life of the current labor deal.

A five percent or seven percent profit is similar to what other businesses have experienced recently.

Fortune 500 companies, for example, collectively turned a 4.0 percent profit in 2009 and a 6.6 percent profit in 2010 (both figures after taxes).

Profit margins in the entertainment industry, which is probably the appropriate classification for the NBA, have generally been a bit lower than that.