National Basketball Players Association Rumors

And-Ones: 2024 Olympics, NBPA Leadership, G. Hill, Driesell

February 17th, 2024 at 7:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Lakers center Anthony Davis are willing to be part of the U.S. Olympic team in Paris if they receive invitations, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Reynolds talked to both players at today’s All-Star media event, and they’re excited about participating.

“My goal is to play for USA until the wheels fall off,” Haliburton said. “If I get that call to go, I’ll be there.”

Haliburton was one of the top players for Team USA at last summer’s FIBA World Cup, leading the team with 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game across eight contests. He also played for the U.S. in the Under-19 World Cup in 2019.

Davis won gold medals in the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

Harrison Barnes and Garrett Temple have been reelected to their positions as secretary-treasurer and vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, the union announced in a press release. Their new terms will last for three years. “I’m thrilled to have Harrison and Garrett return as members of the NBPA Executive Committee,” NBPA president CJ McCollum said. “Harrison and Garrett have a wealth of knowledge and insight on our players’ experiences, and their leadership has been an invaluable resource during critical periods in our union’s history. I am excited to continue working with them in their respective roles to shape the direction of the NBPA and better serve the collective group of players.”
George Hill talks to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about finding peace at his Texas ranch as he waits for another NBA opportunity. Hill, who spent time with the Bucks and Pacers last season, is away from the NBA for the first time after a 15-year career. “I just had a baby boy, so it’s good being here,” he said. “But at the same time, you miss basketball and going to camp every year. So, to not finally do it this year, it’s a big crack on the head. But I’m going to just keep control of what I can control. Stay positive and have fun. You know this journey. There are opportunities to get back there. If it doesn’t, I’m OK with myself. I never beat myself up. … I don’t think I’m ever going to stop working out. I hope to get back in, God willing. And I’ll be ready when opportunity comes for sure.”
Long-time Maryland basketball coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell died this morning at age 92, the university announced. He ranks 15th among NCAA Division I coaches with 786 career victories and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. Our deepest condolences go out to Driesell’s family and friends.

Celtics Notes: Brissett, Pritchard, Hauser, Brown

December 16th, 2023 at 7:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

Oshae Brissett has mostly been out of the rotation since signing with the Celtics this summer, but he took advantage of an opportunity to play on Friday night, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. With Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet all sidelined by injuries, the 6’7″ Brissett was called on to help protect the rim in small-ball lineups. He responded by making all four of his shots and scoring 11 points in nearly 16 minutes. He had just 14 points all season before Friday’s game.

“It’s tough, wanting to win and wanting to do so well and trying to play perfect,” Brissett said. “You can’t really do that as a basketball player, especially in limited minutes. You’ve just got to be yourself and play a little free. It’s tough, again, because you want to do the right thing so bad. But, at the end of the day, it’s basketball and I’ve been playing basketball for a long time.”

Himmelsbach adds that Brissett has remained focused while he’s been out of the lineup, studying the game from the bench to identify ways he can help the team. Brissett also receives regular guidance from coach Joe Mazzulla, who reminded him that his shooting in a game two years ago with Indiana sparked the Celtics’ interest.

“I know what I can bring to the table, and that’s energy and being excited to be out there with these guys,” Brissett added. “And any given night I can get out there, I’m just going to do that.”

There’s more from Boston:

Jaylen Brown was dealing with hypertension in his right knee, but he was determined to play in what is becoming an intense rivalry with Orlando, per Brian Robb of MassLive. The Magic had won their previous four games against the Celtics, including an in-season tournament contest in which they ran up the score in the final minutes to help with point differential. “In my opinion, for us, I think one we had a bunch of guys out and were on a back-to-back versus a team that’s been kicking our ass the last four or five times we played,” Brown said. “I think this was the biggest game to me so far.”
Payton Pritchard is showing the Celtics that they’re better off keeping him than using him as a trade chip, Robb observes in a separate story. Pritchard, who scored 21 points in 28 minutes on Friday, and Sam Hauser have become the leaders of a bench unit that is exceeding expectations. “Like I said, those guys since day one,” Mazzulla said. “I coached them both in Summer League, so I’ve always known they were going to be great rotation players, and I had full confidence in them last year, and full confidence in them this year.”
Brown, a member of the NBPA’s executive committee, endorsed Andre Iguodala‘s recent ascension to interim executive director, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, who notes that Brown indicated he may also have interest in leading the players union after he retires from basketball.

And-Ones: Bronny, I. Thomas, Las Vegas, Livingston

December 10th, 2023 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

After practicing with his Trojans teammates multiple times this week, Bronny James has been cleared to make his collegiate debut and will be available on Sunday for USC vs. Long Beach State, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

A freshman guard, Bronny is the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James and had been considered a possible lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft before suffering cardiac arrest in July. Less than five months after that health incident, he’s poised to return to the court.

According to USC head coach Andy Enfield, Bronny will come off the bench and will be on a minutes limit.

“It’s just going to be a feel for how the game’s going, how he’s playing, how he feels physically,” Enfield said last week. “[Sunday will] be very emotional for him as well as his teammates. But as the game progresses, I think he’ll settle in, and we’ll just play it half by half and see where he is.”

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Within a larger conversation about his induction into the University of Washington’s Husky Hall of Fame, veteran guard Isaiah Thomas tells Mat Issa of Forbes that he’s still hoping to make an NBA comeback. “I’m still trying to play the game of basketball. I want to get back to the NBA,” Thomas said. “So, I’m still working out and staying ready.”
With the NBA considering potential tweaks to the in-season tournament for 2024, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports that the league only had a one-year agreement with Las Vegas, so there’s no guarantee the final four will be played at T-Mobile Arena again next year. That said, the NBA is obviously fond of the market and players seemed enthusiastic about the idea of traveling to Vegas for the IST semifinals and final.
On the subject of Las Vegas, Chris Mannix of SI.com argues that NBA expansion to Sin City is inevitable, writing that it’s a matter of “when” rather than “if.”
Former NBA guard Shaun Livingston has joined the National Basketball Players Association in a player engagement role, according to Amick (Twitter link). Livingston and Andre Iguodala, the NBPA’s new acting executive director, were teammates for several years in Golden State.

And-Ones: D. Harper, Harden, Iguodala, NBPA, Pacers/Bucks

December 7th, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Dylan Harper, a five-star recruit who comes in at No. 2 overall in ESPN’s breakdown of the 2024 high school class, announced on Wednesday that he has committed to Rutgers for the 2024/25 college season, per Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi of ESPN.

The son of five-time champion Ron Harper and the younger brother of Raptors two-way player Ron Harper Jr., Dylan is behind only Cooper Flagg in ESPN’s rankings of next year’s recruiting class. Flagg has committed to Duke, but Harper – like No. 3 prospect Airious “Ace” Bailey – will join the Scarlet Knights, whom his older brother represented from 2018-22.

“His advice to me was to pick a school that is best for me and make it your decision,” Dylan said of Ron Jr. “I saw what a great player my brother was there and how successful Rutgers was during that time. He had a great career there. He was one of the best to play at Rutgers.”

It’s a historic recruiting class for Rutgers, which typically hasn’t been a basketball powerhouse. As Borzello and Biancardi point out, prior to this year, Rutgers had landed just six total prospects on ESPN’s top-100 lists since 2007, which is when the outlet began maintaining its annual recruiting rankings. Only one of those players – Mike Rosario in 2008 – was considered a top-50 recruit.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA investigated the Sixers following 2022’s free agent period, looking into whether James Harden‘s pay cut that year came with any quid pro quo assurances, and investigated the team again earlier this year after the star guard called Daryl Morey a “liar.” Will yet another Harden-related investigation be necessary? Over at his Substack, Marc Stein says the comments Harden made to Sam Amick of The Athletic may force the league’s hand. The former MVP made two eyebrow-raising claims in that interview, telling Amick that the 76ers promised him a maximum-salary contract prior to his 2023 free agency and that his representatives met with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka while he was under contract with Philadelphia.
Andre Iguodala, who took over for Tamika Tremaglio last month as the NBPA’s acting executive director, is unsure whether or not he’s interested in keeping the position permanently, but he tells Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic that he couldn’t pass on the opportunity to lead the players’ union. “The players thought it was perfect timing, with my career ending, helping them continue to progress, continue to transition and helping out with that,” Iguodala said. “So, it was just a unique opportunity to do that. I’m indebted to the players and servicing the guys, and it was a no-brainer.”
The over-under for Thursday’s in-season tournament Eastern semifinal is 257.5 points, the highest total in an NBA game since 1991, according to David Purdum of ESPN. As we detailed earlier today, the Pacers have the NBA’s best offense and the Bucks rank third, so a shootout is anticipated. It’s the seventh game since ’91 with an over/under greater than 250, with four of those games occurring this season, Purdum notes.

Andre Iguodala Named Acting Executive Director Of NBPA

November 9th, 2023 at 2:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

2:19pm: The NBPA has formally announced Iguodala’s appointment as acting executive director, confirming the news in a press release.

“I am honored to take on this role and serve the players, who are the heart and soul of the NBA,” Iguodala said in a statement. “I’m presented with a unique opportunity to take all that I’ve learned as a player over the course of my 19-year career and apply it to creating an even stronger and more influential union for current and future generations of players. I am thrilled to work alongside our extremely committed Executive Committee to lead the brotherhood through its next stage of advancement and development.”

2:00pm: Andre Iguodala has been named the acting executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He replaces Tamika Tremaglio, who is resigning after less than two years as head of the union. Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news that Iguodala was being considered for the role (Twitter link).

Iguodala confirmed his retirement last month, officially ending his 19-year playing career. An All-Star in 2012, he will be best remembered for his role in helping the Warriors capture four titles.

ESPN hired Iguodala as a studio analyst in October, and he currently owns stakes in two soccer teams, Leeds United in the EFL and Bay Area FC in the NWSL, along with the San Francisco branch of the TGL golf league.

A formal search for Tremaglio’s successor will begin soon, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). There’s no indication on whether Iguodala will be considered as part of that search.

Although Tremaglio held the job for a relatively short time, she helped to negotiate the union’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was approved in June. She began to discuss stepping down after the CBA negotiations ended, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).

Players Association Disagrees With Harden Fine, Will File Grievance

August 22nd, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The National Basketball Players Association has expressed in a statement its disagreement with the $100K fine issued by the league to James Harden and will file a grievance on his behalf.

The fine was issued in response to Harden’s recent comments in which he referred to Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey as a “liar” and said he had no intention of being part of an organization that Morey is a part of, as well as a follow-up interview in which he stated that he thinks his relationship with the franchise is “beyond repair.”

The NBPA believes Harden’s comments directed toward Morey do not constitute a trade demand. An arbitrator will decide whether Harden will have to pay the fine.

The statement read, “We respectfully disagree with the league’s decision to discipline James Harden for recent comments he made, which we believe do not violate the rule against public trade demands. We intend to file a grievance and have the matter heard by our Arbitrator.”

The NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a section stating that “any player who publicly expresses a desire to be traded to another team shall be subject to a fine” up to $150K.

A separate section of the CBA gives the league latitude to fine a player up to $100K if he makes a “statement having, or that was designed to have, an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interests of basketball or of the Association or of a (team).”

The NBA’s announcement earlier today indicated that Harden was fined because he suggested he “would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team,” which the league could argue falls under the latter of the two categories outlined above, rather than the former.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

NBPA Calls Morant’s Suspension “Excessive, Inappropriate”

June 16th, 2023 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA made its long-awaited announcement on Friday regarding the investigation into Ja Morant, issuing a press release stating that the Grizzlies guard will serve a 25-game suspension to open the 2023/24 season.

The league’s announcement indicated that, in order to be reinstated, Morant will also “be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

Morant put out a statement expressing remorse for his actions and essentially accepting his punishment. However, the National Basketball Players Association isn’t happy with the league’s decision to both suspend the 23-year-old for nearly a third of the season and require him to meet conditions in order to return. The players’ union issued a statement of its own on Friday afternoon.

“Ja has expressed his remorse and accepted responsibility for his actions, and we support him unequivocally as he does whatever is necessary to represent himself, our players and our league in the best possible light,” NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said in a press release.

“As to the discipline imposed, which keeps him off the court until December and requires some unstated conditions to be met before he can return, we believe it is excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons including the facts involved in this particular incident, and that it is not fair and consistent with past discipline in our league. We will explore with Ja all options and next steps.”

While Tremaglio doesn’t get into specifics, it’s probably safe to assume that the NBPA objects to the length of the suspension for an act that didn’t break any laws and didn’t subject Morant to any criminal charges. His history of off-court incidents clearly factored heavily into the NBA’s decision to suspend him for 25 games for briefly showing a gun in an Instagram Live video.

According to ESPN, Morant’s suspension is the eighth-longest in league history. Miles Bridges‘ 30-game ban, handed out in April, is considered one of the seven suspensions longer than Morant’s, even though Bridges will only be required to sit out 10 games once he signs a contract.

As legal expert Michael McCann observes (via Twitter), even if the NBPA doesn’t support Morant’s behavior any more than the NBA does, the union has a legal duty to ensure that the league isn’t establishing new precedents that could be used to discipline players more harshly in the future.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) there’s a 30-day window in which to file a grievance, so Morant will have until mid-July to decide whether or not to fight the suspension. The grievance would have to be filed by Morant rather than the NBPA, Marks adds.

The union will meet with Morant to discuss possible next steps, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

One-And-Done Rule Not Expected To Change In New CBA

March 31st, 2023 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Facing an opt-out deadline of midnight Eastern time on Friday night, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association continue to discuss a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

If the two sides do reach an agreement today, the next CBA won’t change the “one-and-done” rule for draft prospects, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links). Discussions about that rule are no longer taking part of the CBA negotiations, Woj says.

The one-and-done rule, established in 2005, prohibits NBA hopefuls from entering the draft directly out of high school. Those players must wait a year before declaring for the NBA draft. As a result, many of the top prospects have become known as “one-and-done” players, since they spend just one year at college (or elsewhere) before making themselves draft-eligible.

Players used to be able to enter the draft directly out of high school – LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett were among the stars who did so – and there was some speculation in recent years that the NBA and NBPA would once again allow that to happen as part of the new CBA.

However, ESPN has been reporting for quite some time that no changes to the one-and-done rule are imminent, despite rumors the contrary, and it appears that’s still the case.

As Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links) observes, there’s not a lot of motivation among teams, team owners, or players to change the rule. Giving NBA teams the ability to draft even younger players would make scouting more challenging and would eliminate jobs for veteran players.

According to Givony, while some people in the industry have had moral concerns about “forcing” 18-year-olds to attend college instead of beginning their professional careers, the emergence of alternate professional pathways to the NBA (ie. the G League Ignite and Overtime Elite) and NIL deals for college players have helped allay many of those concerns.

The NBA and NBPA both hope that a tentative agreement on a new CBA can be reached before tonight’s deadline, Wojnarowski notes. If there’s no deal in place by the end of the day, the league is expected to exercise its opt-out clause, which would move the expiry date of the current CBA up by one year to June 30, 2023. The two sides would still have three months to agree to a new CBA to avoid a lockout on July 1.

And-Ones: NBPA, Dooling, A. Anderson, Officiating, Elam Ending

February 19th, 2023 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Grant Williams, formerly a vice president for the National Basketball Players Association, has been elected as the first vice president of the players’ union, per a press release. Williams will take over that role from Andre Iguodala, whose four-year term has expired following his election in 2019.

Since Williams was promoted to first vice president and Kyrie Irving‘s term as an NBPA vice president expired, two new VPs were elected to the union’s executive committee — those new vice presidents are Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who will serve three-year terms.

“We are thrilled to have Grant in this elevated position, and we welcome Jaren and Donovan to the executive committee,” NBPA president CJ McCollum said in a statement. “Their experience and ability to connect with the younger players in our league will be imperative as we move forward as a union. I also want to take a moment to thank Andre and Kyrie for their service. Kyrie’s insights have been invaluable since he joined us in 2020, and Andre has been been a key leader for us for more than a decade. Their leadership will be missed but we know they will stay close and continue to support us as we work for the best interests of the brotherhood.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA players Keyon Dooling and Alan Anderson have received prison sentences of 30 months and 24 months, respectively, for their roles in defrauding the NBA’s health and welfare plan, according to Steve Gardner of USA Today. Anderson was one of 18 players originally arrested in 2021 for making fraudulent claims, while Dooling – a former NBPA vice president who was most recently an assistant coach with the Jazz – later had his name added to the criminal case.
Before holding his annual All-Star news conference on Saturday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver also appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter this week to discuss concerns about load management and officiating, among other topics (YouTube video link). Silver stated that the NBA is exploring ways to use technology to automate certain calls (ie. who last touched an out-of-bounds ball) so that referees can focus more on the more subjective calls they’re required to make (ie. fouls).
Tim Bontemps of ESPN takes a deep dive into the “Elam Ending,” exploring how Nick Elam first came up with the concept and detailing the path it took to being adopted in the NBA’s All-Star Game (as well as the G League’s overtime period).

NBA, NBPA Likely To Extend CBA Opt-Out Deadline

January 19th, 2023 at 10:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s a good chance that the February 8 deadline for either the league or the National Basketball Players Association to opt out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement will be pushed back once again, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said during a press conference in Paris, France on Thursday that negotiations are ongoing. NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio was also in Paris for the Bulls-Pistons game but the negotiations were taking place in the U.S.

“Our colleagues are back in New York, negotiating as we speak,” Silver said. “They’ve been meeting all week, just going issue by issue and trying to work through those issues that separate us. I would say, though, that I think we start from a very strong foundation.”

The original opt-out date was December 15 but the league’s Board of Governors and the Players Association agreed to an extension.

“There’s a strong sense of partnership between the players and the league,” Silver said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have disagreements.”

The current CBA, which went into effect in 2017, runs through the 2023/24 season. However, the league and the players’ union hold a mutual option to terminate that agreement at the end of the ’22/23 league year (June 30).

It’s expected that the new labor agreement will allow players to enter the draft straight out of high school. The current rule in which players must be 19 years old or be one year removed from high school was instituted in 2006.

The league’s owners have been pushing an “upper spending limit” that would significantly tighten the rules on how much teams can spend each year on their roster, effectively serving as a hard cap to replace the current luxury tax system.