Tag: NBA Players Association

Basketball is back: NBA, NBPA officially agree to Dec. 22 season, Nov. 20 free agency

The Player’s Union and the NBA have officially agreed to start the next season fairly soon and the free agency period in 10 days.

After about a month of negotiating, on top of whatever conversations about next season were had inside the NBA bubble, the NBA and the NBPA have finally announced their agreement to start the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22, with training camps starting on Dec. 1 and free agency in less than two weeks on Nov. 20. The announcement also delivered some of the long-awaited details of adjustments to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which were needed after the league’s drop in revenue due to the pandemic.

The NBA agreed to keep the salary cap at $109.140 million and the Tax Level will be $132.627 million. The league also agreed to have tax payments be tied to the league’s revenue, allowing teams not to have to take as big of a hit financially if they are over the tax line. This is major for teams like Golden State, Brooklyn, and also potentially the Lakers, who have a good number of free-agent signings they need to execute. The league and the players also agreed to keep this type of arrangement through the rest of the CBA, so they won’t have to come back to the bargaining table again just to start the following season, no matter how much revenue is lost due to a lack of fans due to the coronavirus.

For LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, this is not ideal and LeBron has voiced that perspective. But just as it was true in the Orlando Bubble, sacrifice is the name of the game here. There were eight teams who watched the bubble from home and several others get sent home after their first two weeks of seeding games.

With the draft set for Nov. 18 and free agency on Nov. 20, the NBA is going to have a jampacked month of offseason action. Not even after the 2011 lockout did the league have to move this fast with their business of both drafting and free agency in the run-up to training camp. Free agents will be agreeing to deals and moving to new cities almost the next day.

None of this is normal and it’s totally understandable if it feels too much for the Lakers, Heat, Nuggets, or Celtics, who were the last teams standing in late September. But with all of that firmly in the picture, the NBA is back. And the other 26 teams likely won’t feel any sympathy towards them either.

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Enlarged beds being brought into Disney World for NBA players

The folks at the MickeyBlog saw workers wheeling in larger than large beds at the Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World.

While the United States continues to see a surge in coronavirus and in the state of Florida, the Republic of Disney continues to be moving forward with a plan to host the National Basketball Association and its players as they attempt to conclude the 2019-20 season beginning on July 30 with a night-game featuring the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. And as part of the preparations at Walt Disney World, workers were spotted bringing in supersized beds measured to the needs of NBA players who will be on the campus.

The fine folks at MickeyBlog have photos of workers bringing in massive, custom-made beds to the Disney World Grand Floridian for NBA players to sleep in. Many hotels along the NBA circuit pride themselves on having these special accommodations for players. The Grand Floridian is where most teams are playing, whereas the Lakers are at the Gran Destino and the other teams invited to Disney but currently out of the playoff picture will be staying at the Yacht Club.

The state of Florida, where Disney World is located, totaled over 9,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

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NBA, NBPA agree to extend window for decision on league CBA

The NBA and the NBPA agree to extend the decision-window on whether to keep the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The NBA and its players, at least at the top, are keeping their options open when it comes to salvaging their season, which could require a new collective bargaining agreement due to the pandemic. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday that the NBA and the NBPA have agreed to give themselves an additional two months before a “force majure” clause is reached and the NBA has the option to terminate the current collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union.

No matter what happens with the season moving forward, it is clear that there will be considerably less money for everyone to split up between themselves. Commissioner Adam Silver told the players in a phone call on Friday that fans attending games in person are responsible for 40% of the revenue the league makes. That significant decrease in the Basketball Related Income, also known as BRI, will likely lead to ramifications for the salary cap and the luxury tax.

As for the NBA and its players, some teams were able to return to their facilities late last week and several others, including LeBron’s Los Angeles Lakers, could open up by the end of this week.

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Nets point guard Kyrie Irving elected as NBAPA vice president

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was elected as an NBA Players Association vice president on Monday.

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was elected as a vice president of the NBA Players Association on Monday, the organization announced.

Irving is replacing former NBA star Pau Gasol, whose three-year term came to an end.

Gasol retired from the NBA following last season.

Irving said in a statement he wants to take on a bigger role in the union and help with social issues and business plans.

“I have been an observer and a participant in union affairs for a while, but for the most part, I was off on the sidelines, supporting our Executive Committee as they made important decisions. At this point in my career, I wanted to join forces with those guys and take a bigger role outside of the basketball court and within our union. I want to help move the union forward with innovative ideas, not only on social issues but also with business ventures into a new space.”

In 2018, Irving enrolled in a Harvard business school program designed to help athletes prepare for “business activities during and after their active sports careers,” according to Boston.com.

Outside business dealings include his Nike shoes contract and partial ownership of the Uncle Drew character, according to Forbes.

Irving has been also been outspoken about social issues. He wore an “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirt in 2014 following the death of Eric Garner and spoke out against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

A nine-year NBA veteran, Irving is an NBA Champion and six-time All-Star. He has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.

Irving joins an executive committee with president Chris Paul, first vice president Andre Iguodala, secretary-treasurer Anthony Tolliver and vice presidents Bismack Biyombo, Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, CJ McCollum and Garrett Temple.

“We are thrilled to have Kyrie join us as the newest Vice President,” Paul said in the statement. “Having a player of his caliber coupled with his off the court business acumen will help us to continue to strengthen the union as a whole and empower our individual voices as players.”

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