The value of NBA teams has been rising at such an incredible pace that even the league's least valuable franchise is now worth well over $1 billion.

What's happening: A new report from sports business publication Sportico found that the average NBA team is now worth $2.4 billion.

The NHL's abbreviated season begins tonight, with the coronavirus already casting a shadow of uncertainty over the 2021 campaign.

Driving the news: 27 players from nine teams tested positive for COVID-19 during training camp. 17 were on the Stars, who have had their first three games postponed.

The NBA's COVID-19 protocol is necessarily rigorous, but it's thus far had a disproportionate effect on teams' training staffs.

The state of play: The league's 153-page document includes myriad new responsibilities, with team employees in charge of testing, contact tracing and more.

The most important 30-day stretch of the year for the television industry begins this weekend on the gridiron.

Why it matters: The 14 most-watched U.S. TV broadcasts of 2021 could take place over the next month: 13 NFL playoff games (up from 11 due to expansion) and Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship.

It's been a year for sports unlike any other, and unlike we'll (hopefully) ever see again.

The big picture: While the outlook for sports during a pandemic looked grim at the outset, leagues got creative and found solutions. Fans adapted. Bubbles formed. Empty stadiums were filled with posterboards, stuffed animals and cardboard cutouts. Players adapted to a new world of isolation and cheerless games.

The NBA announced it's fining Houston Rockets star James Harden $50,000 for COVID-19 protocols violations and postponing his team's Wednesday night season opener with the Oklahoma City Thunder following a coronavirus outbreak.

Why it matters: The NBA suspended the previous season in March due to the pandemic. It returned to play in late July in a bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.

The Disney World bubble kept the NBA safe from COVID-19 this summer. Now comes an even greater challenge: staging a 72-game season in the real world.

Why it matters: In the bubble, the NBA made and enforced the rules, set up a complex testing program and operated three arenas. In the real world, teams will be responsible for doing everything themselves.

The Negro Leagues have been elevated to "major" status by MLB, righting a wrong that's long overdue, but no less welcome.

Why it matters: Their statistics and records — kept separate from MLB's for half a century like the players who produced them — will finally take their rightful place in Major League history.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has signed a five-year, $228.2 million extension to continue playing for the Milwaukee Bucks — the largest contract in NBA history by both total and average annual value.

Why it matters: Teams have been positioning themselves for a run at Antetokounmpo for months amid rumblings that the Greek superstar, a year from free agency, might test the market next summer.

Major League Baseball unveiled its restructured minor league system last week, with all 30 big league clubs extending invitations to four farm teams apiece.

How it works: Under the newly configured system, every franchise will have a Triple-A team, a Double-A team, a high-Class A team and a low-Class A team, along with a variety of developmental teams.