Sources said that the NBPA has sent every NBA player an e-mail informing them that the union will hold elections for seven vacant positions on the nine-member union Exec Committee Feb. 16 during All-Star Weekend in Houston. Sources said that the e-mail was sent on Friday. The law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, which was hired by the NBPA to investigate the union’s leadership, recommended in a report issued earlier this month that the union hold Exec Committee meetings during the All-Star Weekend. The 469-page report, which found that Exec Dir Billy Hunter placed his own interests above the interests of the union, also found that only two members of the Exec Committee -- President Derek Fisher and VP Matt Bonner -- may be current members under the union’s bylaws. The report states, “The terms of the other seven have either expired, or they appear no longer eligible for service because they have not been ‘employed as players on any of the individual teams’ this season (or both).” The e-mail encourages all player reps and their teammates to attend. A source said that the e-mail states any NBPA member can run for the open seats on the Exec Committee. Exec Committee members are elected by team player reps under NBPA bylaws. The seats up for election include the secretary-treasurer position, the first VP position and five VP positions.
