After addressing about 70 NBA players yesterday at the
NBPA's annual meeting in the Bahamas, NBPA Exec Dir Billy
Hunter said that the NBPA "may have a rival" to purchase the
CBA in BET Holdings Inc. Chair Robert Johnson, according to
Scott Soshnick of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Reps for Johnson and BET
Holdings "couldn't be reached for comment," but CBA Manager
of Media Relations Matthew Fendon said that he "wasn't aware
of talks" with Johnson. Hunter said that he and the players
"will resume discussing" the CBA today and a decision on
"whether to buy the league could be made in the next few
days." But Hunter added that he "was less enthusiastic"
about buying the CBA after meeting with the players.
Clippers F Eric Piatkowski: "Who is going to pay for it?
That's the big question. They talk about getting sponsors
and things, but when that stuff doesn't work out, will they
start talking about taking money from our licensing checks."
Hunter, asked what would happen to the CBA-NBA
"relationship" if the NBPA buys the league: "It would be
toast." Hunter also believes the CBA could "survive" if it
went "head-to-head" against the NBA: "There's no question
that an NBA-owned league has cache. Players have a
significant amount of cache themselves" (BLOOMBERG NEWS,
7/24). Hunter, on whether the NBPA would be "overburdened
by the cost of buying and running" the CBA: "Unions invest
in real estate, buy stocks. Why shouldn't they move beyond
being players, move toward being owners and providing
opportunities? Why should they limit themselves to being
the labor instead of being the owner?" (AP, 7/25).
FINAL DETAILS ON BRI: The AP's Chris Sheridan writes
that data shows that players received 62% of basketball-
related income this season, a number "expected to rise" to
64% next season. Sheridan notes that under those
projections and the current CBA, players "will have to give
back" 10% of their salaries -- a "so-called escrow tax" --
to NBA team owners during the 2001-02 season (AP, 7/25).
