The NBA has announced a new multi-year partnership today with popular fantasy sports company FanDuel. The partnership marks the NBA's first involvement in one-day fantasy leagues and could be a sign of things to come.

Fanduel reportedly will implement the first "Official One-Day Fantasy Basketball Game of the NBA" as part of the new partnership.

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One-day fantasy leagues allow sports fans to draft players and put together a fantasy team to compete for a wide range of prizes. But the main difference from other fantasy leagues is fans must draft players who are playing during that particular day, rather than being able to choose from all players in the league.

"Our new one-day fantasy game with FanDuel provides our fans with another way to connect with their favorite teams and players throughout the season," said NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum.

Although Fanduel is mainly known for its paid service allowing fans to pay a fee for a chance to earn cash prizes if their fantasy team performs the best during the day, the company will also offer free daily contests where fans can earn non-cash prizes including NBA-related merchandise and NBA regular-season tickets.

The partnership is proof that the new NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is willing to expand the entertainment business within the organization and the decision could lead to much bigger things like gambling being implemented as well. 

It's no secret that gambling drastically increases interests in games. Just look at the college basketball tournament March Madness for example, which gathers fans from all over the country to bet on the games. Silver mentioned that fans gambling on the NBA could one day become legal, and the partnership with FanDuel could be a step in that direction. 

TagsFanDuel, One-day fantasy league, Fantasy sports leagues, gambling, Adam Silver, NBA partnerships