When Google launched Google Video Store in January 2006, the NBA basketball games were one of the top attractions from the list of premium content. Here's an extract from the press release at that time:

"Google Video will also feature NBA games from this season and some of the greatest individual performances in NBA history. Marking the first time NBA fans can purchase full NBA contests on the Web, each NBA game for the rest of this season, including the NBA Playoffs and The Finals, will be available to fans in its entirety 24 hours after the contest's conclusion."

It seems that NBA decided to remove all the videos from Google Video, as Steve Rubel reports. If NBA is nowhere to be found in Google Video, NHL partnered with Google and shows full hockey games for free (although they're available only in the US and Canada). NHL already showed these videos on their site.

Maybe NBA should learn something from NHL and other not-so-popular sports and distribute their videos for free. Or at least old videos. </img> </img> </img> </img>