The NBPA "got a visit" from BET Holdings Chair Robert
Johnson yesterday at the union meetings in the Bahamas,
according to the AP's Chris Sheridan, who writes that
Johnson "could be interested in forming a partnership with
the players to purchase" the CBA. NBPA Exec Dir Billy
Hunter, on Johnson: "He's interested, and he wanted to see
what kinds of synergy might exist." Sheridan notes that
Johnson has been negotiating a deal to televise CBA games,
but it "was unclear exactly what type of a partnership"
Johnson and the NBPA "might form." Meanwhile, Sheridan adds
that the NBPA "fears that if it lets" its August 6
"exclusivity window expire, another bidder might come
forward" for the league (AP, 7/28). But BLOOMBERG's Scott
Soshnick reports that the NPBA seems to be waiting on a
deal. Heat C and NBPA VP Alonzo Mourning said that the
"longer" the NBPA "waits to buy" the CBA, the "more of a
bargain it could be." Mourning: "That's what we're banking
on." Mourning, on NBA officials giving Isiah Thomas until
training camp in October to sell the CBA: "Time is pretty
much against him right now" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/28).
ISIAH'S OTHER OFFERS? Thomas told CBS SportsLine's Mike
Kahn the league "will be sold soon. It's not just the
[NPBA] and [BET]. When you have a single entity like the
CBA ... it's very attractive to media companies and Internet
companies. It's a great spot to be in, [and] there are a
lot of buyers at the table." Kahn wrote that with the NBPA
facing a 10% escrow tax for the 2001-02 season if
basketball-related income exceeds 55%, it is "less likely to
approve an investment of at least" $10M into the CBA.
Meanwhile, while the NBA "never seriously negotiated with
Thomas to make the CBA its developmental league," Thomas
said that is "appalled at how they are using his design of
the CBA as the blueprint of their new league." Thomas also
notes the NBA's partnership with SFX on its developmental
league: "What I'm hearing out of the NBA is a lot of players
were questioning how their agents go into [the]
developmental league and tell them not to own a league.
It's as simple as the agents saying, 'Don't own a league,
let us own it!' The owners and the agents will have
complete control. This way [CBA/NBPA deal], the players
would have something" (CBS SportsLine, 7/27).
