The NBPA will use 10% of its $25M licensing revenue to
"establish a war chest" for the next round of collective
bargaining negotiations, according to Peter May of the
BOSTON GLOBE. The NBA "could exercise its opt-out clause
next summer if salaries reach a certain percentage of
overall basketball revenue. The union thinks it had better
have some resources at its disposal if that happens. A
full-share of the licensing money is around $60,000. The
NBPA is also working with player agents on establishing a
fee for rookie contracts. Normally, agents receive up to
4%, but with the rookie cap, agents "likely will settle for
a smaller percentage" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/16).
TAXMEN: ESPN's David Aldridge, on some NBA refs'
problems with the IRS: "The scuttlebutt among referees is
the league has hung some of them out to dry. ... During the
last collective bargaining session between the league and
the referees, one source says, the refs' union asked for
league help in dealing with potential tax problems. But,
the source said, the league wasn't interested in providing
more dollars to a union where starting officials make more
than $77,000 and the most experienced refs pull in more than
$220,000" (ESPNET SportsZone, 2/17).
