In Adam Silver's opening remarks with his press conference before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, he addressed how he views the current state of the league's parity as a matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks guarantees they will have their eighth unique champions over the past eight seasons.

"Where we see the league today in terms of the great level of competition, this will be our eighth different champion in the last eight years," said Silver. "I've talked about parity of opportunity over the years. It doesn't mean that we necessarily are looking to have a different champion every year, but we want to ensure that for the 30 teams in this league, regardless of the size of their market, they all have an opportunity to compete.

"I think that's what we're seeing with these two teams. Obviously you have one of our largest markets and one of our smallest markets, but what they have in common is strong management, a winning culture, and of course great team basketball. You know, I'm thrilled just about the anticipation around this competition."

Beyond the eight champions in eight years, the NBA has had the maximum eight different teams in the Finals over the past four years.

The NBA's collective bargaining agreement of 2023 introduced a second apron, which instituted severe penalties for teams well beyond the luxury tax.