After what there was an agreement last week for a restart between the NBA and the NBPA, the rapid nature of the agreement, as well as the simple fact that it was not subject to vote by all 450 players, has now come to bother a significant portion of players as the details on said agreement are still being worked out.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported on Friday that privately, several players are upset that there was not a full vote to approve the 22-team proposal from the NBA before the union moved to ratify the agreement last week. The players are also concerned about the optics of a majority-black league to be sequestered for the purposes of making money and entertaining the masses amid a backdrop of national outrage about racial injustice.
The complaint, privately expressed by multiple players, is that every player’s voice wasn’t heard for this critical and potentially life-changing vote, sources said.
The unease about relocating to a quarantined campus during the COVID-19 pandemic was already viewed as hazardous and unnecessary to many players. But because of the George Floyd tragedy and the powerful movement for racial justice that’s sweeping the nation, some players believe it’s bad optics for a league comprised predominantly of black men to be sequestered in one location for up to three months merely to entertain the masses and ease the league’s economic burden, sources said.
Another concern for the players, according to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, is also that the bubble restrictions on the players are too restrictive.
There's growing concern re NBA's bubble plan. Players want more freedom of movement while in Orlando. One agent estimates that 2/3 of the top 40 would refuse to play under the proposed restrictions. https://t.co/IrM5MHPu5e
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) June 12, 2020
The divergent concerns and interests among the players is an obstacle, in addition to other negotiations with Disney and Disney’s own employees.
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