The NBA has labor peace...
With its referee union, at least. The NBA and the National Basketball Referees Association have agreed to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement that will run through the summer of 2029, both sides announced.
The NBA and NBRA have announced the following. pic.twitter.com/hvLmIfbjmP
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) September 15, 2022
This is good for the league as it works to get its house in order over the next couple of years. Fans understandably can grow frustrated with NBA officiating, but watch college or, worse yet, FIBA officials for a while and you realize how good NBA referees are at their jobs. In a game of hyperathletic players making bang-bang plays, they get an amazing amount of it right.
The NBA continues to talk with the players union about a new CBA (both sides can opt out come December), but speaking to the media on Wednesday Adam Silver said there was no update there. The league would like labor peace — with the referees and players — locked in place before negotiating a new television and streaming rights deal in the coming years that could see those fees double or more for the league.
