The NBA Players Association has rejected the latest collective bargaining proposal by league owners. Following a tactic used by NFL players this summer, the players will begin plans to decertity as a union and file antitrust lawsuits against the NBA over the current lockout.
Last week, after months of tumultous negotiations, NBA Commissioner David Stern urged the players to accept the current offer and threatened to pull current concessions off the table if they failed to agree.
One of the main obstacles during negotiations has been the percentage split basketball-related income (BRI). In the prior collective bargaining agreement, players earned 57% of BRI. In the current proposal, owners have cut the percentages to 50/50. Stern’s ultimatum called for the players cut to drop down to 47% if the players did not agree immediately.
However, Billy Hunter, union executive director, and Derek Fisher, union president, have deemed the latest proposals and ultimatums as unfair and plan carry out future negotiations in the courtroom.
Information from ESPN.com contributed to this report
