Several NBA superstars united last month on finishing the season. Behind that support, National Basketball Players Association president Chris Paul and the union brokered a deal with owners on a resumption format.
But Kyrie Irving is reportedly leading a group of players resistant to the plan. Their concerns vary – from safety to living conditions in Disney World to discomfort playing before racial injustice is addressed.
Now, the big names are re-stating their case.
Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports:
Yahoo Sources: Several high profile players are communicating with their counterparts and educating them on potential negative financial impact not playing would have on the players, not just for this season but moving forward. (Cont’d)
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) June 12, 2020
Yahoo sources cont’d: The high profile players are also relaying that the NBPA won’t have any leverage negotiating a new CBA with owners in the middle of a pandemic
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) June 12, 2020
Yahoo sources: Several players are planning to be creative and use the global attention the NBA platform provides to promote and support the Black Lives Matter movement when the league returns to play
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) June 12, 2020
I get the concerns of resistant players. From the onset, it appears the union failed to properly assess the desires of its members (not that every player made it easy to understand his priorities).
But the high-profile players are right: There’s a lot of money on the line – this season and beyond.
Owners could terminate the Collective Bargaining Agreement through force majeure if the season gets canceled. At that point, all bets are off. Even without that drastic measure, there’s no guarantee the NBA can start next season on time amid the coronavirus pandemic.
There’s an opportunity right now to make a lot of money. Players should think long and hard before bypassing it.