The NBA Players Association has rejected the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) proposal, which was drafted on Friday and pushed heavily by the league across social media platforms on Sunday.
Shortly after the announcement, Twitter quickly jumped to the conclusion there will be no NBA season this year—all November games have already been cancelled—and that the players association will seek to decertify the union.
By decertifiying the union, “the league is no longer shielded from antitrust laws” and could be sued by players. In essence, the players could “challenge any rules that constitute a restraint of trade, and ask the court to end the lockout,” reported ESPN.
“We’re prepared to file this antitrust action against the NBA,” said Union Executive Director Billy Hunter, according to the Associated Press. “That’s the best situation where players can get their due process.”
Over the last four months, news of the NBA lockout has dominated Twitter on an almost-daily basis. And this recent news was no exception. Over the last two hours, “NO NBA” has been a worldwide trending topic, collecting more than 10,000 mentions from people calling the entire season a loss.
“No NBA season,” tweeted Frances (@velystia). “Know who I feel bad for? It’s not the players or owners. It’s the people who rely on those jobs to get by. Greedy & pathetic.”
“Looks like there will be no NBA season this year. Lebron James is estatic,he now has a legit excuse for not winning a championship this year,” tweeted @countbettman.
“No NBA this year doesn’t kill me,” tweeted @_tarynitup. “I’m too busy to watch anything that’s not the news.”
The collective bargaining deal left on the table “called for a 50-50 division of basketball-related income and proposed a 72-game season beginning Dec. 15,” reported the AP. While most NBA players have been quiet on Twitter regarding the recent developments, All-Star Kevin Durant couldn’t sit back and let fans call him greedy.
“[W]e agreed to take 50/50 dummy, it’s the system that we r trying to get n our favor, greedy guys give up 3billion, your right smh,” Durant tweeted.
Twitter has been the battleground where the NBA, players, and team owners have converged to share thoughts and help shape public opinion. Even NBA Commissioner David Stern took to Twitter today to try and ease fans’ concerns.
With the entire season now in serious jeopardy, however, his words sound hollow.
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