NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter claims NBA owners trying to exploit players – NBA Lockout News
The NBA lockout continues to spread its wings; the chances of an NBA season keep decreasing and with that, the allegations from both sides just keep on coming.
National Basketball Players Association Executive (NBPA) Director Billy Hunter recently fired another salvo at the NBA owners, claiming their demands in the labour negotiations are an attempt at exploiting the players.
NBA owners and players have been locked in a bitter dispute over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for about four months now. The previous one favoured the players, guaranteeing them 57 percent of all Basketball Related
Income (BRI), among other things, and owners claim that it hurt them over the years.
They now want drastic changes, not only to the share in the BRI, but also in the whole financial system. Hunter believes they are going too far and although the players want to make a compromise to save the NBA season, they will
not be exploited by NBA owners.
“We don’t want to be totally exploited.” Hunter told ESPN.
He said the players have engaged in negotiations with an open mind and are willing to compromise. He believed they demonstrated it again last week, when talks were held under the supervision of George Cohen, head of the Federal
Mediation and Conciliation Service. He couldn’t say the same for the owners though,
“I thought we were trying to reach compromise when we were there last week. I suspect it’s more about an internal battle that may be brewing or that’s occurring between the big and small markets over the proposals we’ve submitted.”
Hunter also defended the player’s right to seek a fair deal. Many NBA fans are angry at both sides because of the damage being done; the NBA training camps, preseason and two weeks of regular season have already been cancelled.
Some have even labelled players as greedy. Hunter strongly disagrees with that point of view. He admitted that the superstars in the NBA earn obscene amounts of money, but the league has around 400 – 500 players. They do not earn
the amounts that are largely quoted in the media, and whatever they do earn, they are only earning for so many years before they retire.
“I know there’s a struggle when we talk wealth, you’re going to say to me we’re talking about billionaires and millionaires. Well, a guy making a few dollars during his playing career, but most of our players when they end playing
basketball, they’re going to be living for another 40 years or so. And I don’t know how long that money’s going to last?” Hunter explained in the interview.
At the moment, both sides seem to have dug their heels in. The players are adamant that they have conceded enough ground as it is, it is now up to the owners to reciprocate and cut a deal.
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