Since the players have refused the NBA’s offers, the union has began to disband.
According to the Associated Press, NBA players have rejected the league’s most recent offer and have begun to disband the union, possibly jeopardizing the season.
NBA Commissioner David Stern says, “It looks like the 2011-2012 season is really in jeopardy,” in an interview aired on ESPN. He speaks on how he thinks the union is attempting to scare the NBA owners but how that’s not going to happen.
Stern encouraged players to take the deal that the league offered, but instead players allotted to disbanding the union in a chance to win billions of dollars in an antitrust lawsuit.
The executive director of the union, Billy Hunter commented that the players were not prepared to agree to Stern’s latest offer or be put at risk for a worse one because they thought it was “extremely unfair.”
The union VP Maurice Evans said, “We understand the consequences of potentially missing the season; we understand the consequences that players could potentially face if things don’t go our way, but it’s a risk worth taking.”
The players are already in jeopardy of their contracts being legally voided due to league’s recent pre-emptive lockout.
Union president Derek Fisher assures that the decision was unanimous. During the legal process, players and the league can still negotiate, so some players have not given up hope for a cancelled season.
On both sides, millions of dollars has already been lost due to missed games and for some team employees, their jobs are at risk.
With the season still up in the air, it is safe to say that there is a very annoyed fan base out there.
