NBA to settle with Silna brothers. The New York Times reported that it's going to cost the NBA $500 million to buy itself out of the agreement that had already paid the brothers $300 million since 1976, when they negotiated a cut of TV rights fees in perpetuity for not being included in the ABA merger. The Silnas owned the Spirits of St. Louis for two seasons and will have wound up clearing well over $700 million for their trouble, making them, per annum, the most successful owners in basketball history.