Players vote in favor of resuming NBA season
NBA players want to resume the 2019-20 season with the regular season and a full playoff schedule, “if it is safe to do so,” the National Basketball Players Association told agents in a memo sent on Tuesday.
The memo came as ESPN reported NBPA regional representatives reached out to players for an informal survey asking if they want to return this season.
While informal, responses were overwhelmingly in favor of resuming the season, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive nature of the topic.
In the memo, “if it is safe to do” was underscored, emphasizing the challenge facing sports as they attempt to come back.
The memo briefly recapped Friday’s NBPA players meeting that included a session with commissioner Adam Silver. The memo confirmed that “any such resumption would not include fans in arenas, and would likely take place at a single site, but again, it is far too early to speculate on whether any such plan will be implemented.”
The union said it formed a joint committee of NBPA staffers, outside experts and players Chris Paul, Dwight Powell, Kyle Lowry, Jayson Tatum and Russell Westbrook.
The memo also detailed the economic realities of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the league and players. Beginning May 15, teams will begin withholding 25% of each player’s paycheck “with adjustments to the withholding percentage expected in June and September,” according to the memo.
Players were also informed about the right of owners to terminate the entire collective bargaining agreement and the decision to extend the owners’ right to do that until Sept. 10. Revenue from the 2019-20 season impacts the salary cap for 2020-21, and Silver told players last week the collective bargaining agreement wasn’t designed to withstand a pandemic.
The NBPA also has the right to terminate the contract, and the NBPA said in the memo that it hopes “neither side will have to resort to such drastic action.”
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