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Tag: National Basketball Players Association

  • NBA, players still talking about new deal as deadline looms

    NBA, players still talking about new deal as deadline looms

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    NEW YORK (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday he is hopeful that a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players can get done by the end of this week, though he stopped short of predicting that a deal would actually get struck.

    “I think everyone understands what’s at stake,” Silver said.

    The league and the National Basketball Players Association face a midnight Friday deadline for either side to decide that they will opt out of the deal and end the current CBA on June 30. That opt-out deadline already has been extended twice, and Silver said the NBA’s current plan is to exercise that option if there is no deal by Friday night.

    “I certainly can foresee one getting done and I hope we do get one done,” Silver said at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the league’s Board of Governors. “It’s just because, honestly, I’m only one side of the negotiation, it’s difficult for me to place odds on whether or not that’s going to happen.”

    NBPA Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio said the players do not intend to opt out if Friday’s deadline passes without a deal.

    “The March 31st deadline is an important benchmark, and we are doing everything in our power to reach an agreement with the league,” Tremaglio said. “If we don’t have a deal and the league decides to opt out, it will be disappointing considering all the work both sides have put into the negotiations, and the fair nature of our requests. As far as our fans are concerned, it will be business as usual. Games will continue uninterrupted.”

    Both sides have said throughout this process — and in past labor talks — that they do not intend to negotiate or discuss specifics publicly.

    The sides have been talking about a new CBA for more than a year, and Silver said he expected negotiations to resume Wednesday night. And if Friday passes without a deal, it wouldn’t be dire immediately because the sides still will have three months to get something done before the current CBA expires.

    The opt-outs were put in place to avoid the drama of having talks go right up until the end of a deal, which would increase the odds of a work stoppage.

    “Still a lot to go in the next few days. There’s just something about collective bargaining where deadlines are necessary and seemingly sides tend to hold their best positions until the very end,” Silver said. “So, my sense is this will go down to the very end.”

    The league has made clear that it wants some changes to the current CBA and has been in discussions with the union on matters such as an upper spending limit, returning to a plan where players can jump to the draft directly from high school and enacting a minimum number of games played in order to be qualified for season-ending awards.

    “Every issue seemingly seems related to every other issue,” Silver said. “If you line up these 10 issues, you sort of go 80% of the way there on each issue and everybody’s holding their last move to say: ‘Well, OK, maybe I’m willing to do that, but I’m going wait to see what you’re going to do on those three issues. And if you make those moves on those three issues, then I’ll feel a little bit more comfortable.’ I mean, people are constantly trading things.”

    The current CBA, which took effect July 1, 2017, came with a mutual option for either the NBA or the NBPA to opt out after six seasons — June 30 of this year.

    The sides originally had a Dec. 15 deadline to announce an intention to exercise the opt-out, then pushed it back to Feb. 8, then to Friday.

    A lockout would be damaging on many levels — well beyond the obvious part of how a league that is coming off a season of record revenue (it topped $10 billion for the first time last season and basketball-related income reached $8.9 billion, another record) would see that momentum interrupted. It could also interfere with the makeup of teams for this summer’s World Cup in the Philippines, with NBA players expected to fill the U.S. and other rosters (and three NBA coaches set to be part of the U.S. coaching staff).

    It could also disrupt plans for an NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this July that figures to feature presumed No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama in what would be a global spectacle, as the French phenom begins his NBA career.

    “I think for both sides in various categories we acknowledge we’ve come closer together,” Silver said. “There still is a gap between where we feel we need to be in order to get a deal done. I’d say throughout the discussions have had a very positive tenor and continued the strong sense of partnership that we have with our players and the players association.”

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    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Grizzlies, other NBA teams speak out on Tyre Nichols’ death

    Grizzlies, other NBA teams speak out on Tyre Nichols’ death

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    Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins watched a televised interview on Friday of Tyre Nichols’ mother speaking about the loss of her son, and lost control of his emotions.

    “I cried,” Jenkins said.

    The outrage, frustration, sadness and anger was evident around the NBA on Friday, the day that video was released showing how Nichols, a 29-year-old father, was killed by five Memphis police officers. Several teams released statements of support for the family, as did the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association.

    And the emotions around the league were palpable, as has been the case so many times after so many other incidents of violence by police against Black men and women in recent years.

    “This is just crazy,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who opened his pregame news conference Friday by speaking about Nichols before any questions were even asked.

    The officers, all of whom are also Black, all face second-degree murder charges, as well as charges of aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. And the Grizzlies played a game in Minneapolis — the city where George Floyd, a Black man, was killed after a white police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck in an act that sparked protests worldwide over police brutality and racism — on Friday night with heavy hearts.

    “The senseless loss of life for Tyre Nichols has really hit us hard,” Jenkins told Bally Sports, the Grizzlies’ broadcast partner, in a pregame interview from Minnesota. “It’s been tough being on the road, not being home. I wish I could extend my arms through this camera right now to the family. They’re going through a lot.”

    There was a moment of silence before the game in Minnesota. And afterward, Jenkins continued speaking out about what it means to the Grizzlies to represent Memphis at such a trying time.

    “There’s way harder things on in the city versus what’s going on with our basketball right now,” Jenkins said after Memphis’ 111-100 loss in Minnesota. “I’m proud of our guys going out there. We’re playing with heavy hearts, but we’re also playing for our city that’s going through a lot right now.”

    Several teams, including Miami, Atlanta, Cleveland, Minnesota and Milwaukee, along with Memphis, released statements.

    “We are outraged by the deadly beating that Tyre Nichols received from five Memphis police officers,” the Bucks said in their statement. “While the police officers being charged for their heinous actions is an important step for justice, this incident further highlights the need for progress in improving police-community relations.”

    The NBA released its statement about two hours after the video of Nichols’ death was released, while protests were going on in multiple cities in reaction to the images.

    “The images of Tyre Nichols’ life needlessly cut short are horrifying,” the league said. “While there have been steps toward accountability in this instance, the NBA family remains committed to partnering with advocates, policymakers and law enforcement to work toward solutions to the issues we continue to face.”

    Nichols was on his way home from taking pictures of the sky on Jan. 7, when police pulled him over. He was just a few minutes from the home he shared with his mother and stepfather.

    Video of the killing was released Friday evening.

    “Our hearts go out to the entire Memphis community as they are processing and dealing with this horrible tragedy, and we stand by the rightful arrest of all officers involved,” the NBPA said. “Such aggressive policing and excessive force illustrate the continued need for accountability in the justice system.”

    The union said it would “continue to monitor the investigation and legal proceedings in search of justice for Tyre and his family.”

    Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, warned supporters of the “horrific” nature of the video but pleaded for peace.

    Jenkins also said he hopes citizens of Memphis rally around one another.

    “My words will only mean so much,” Jenkins said. “I want to continue to encourage people to put their arms around each other, put their arms around the Nichols family, the Wells family to remember a beautiful life in Tyre Nichols — who I did not know, but I’m learning about.”

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    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • NBA Players Association Names Que Gaskins President Of Marketing, Licensing Subsidiary

    NBA Players Association Names Que Gaskins President Of Marketing, Licensing Subsidiary

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    The National Basketball Players Association has named Que Gaskins president of THINK450, the NBA players union’s marketing and licensing subsidiary.

    Gaskins had been serving as interim president since August 2021 when Payne Brown, THINK450’s president, left to join HPS Investment Partners as managing director. Gaskins reports to Tamika Tremaglio, the NBPA’s executive director.

    Gaskins joined the NBPA as chief brand and growth officer in September 2017 after the union retained its own group licensing rights as part of the collective bargaining agreement with the NBA that began in July 2017.

    Players unions in the NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball had their own group licensing rights for several years. But the NBA had previously managed licensing deals for the players and paid the union an annual fee to distribute to its members.

    “This was my vision from day one,” Gaskins said. “I knew at some point, this was a role that I wanted. I’m just happy it worked out. I was happy I could come in, make some contributions, show people that I have a vision and I can help continue to move this thing forward and they have trust and faith that I’m the right guy for the job.”

    Gaskins was one of the driving forces behind changing the subsidiary’s name from National Basketball Players Inc. to THINK450, an homage to the 450 players that are on NBA active rosters. THINK450 is the for-profit arm of the NBPA, which also has a non-profit arm known as the NBPA Foundation.

    “I really wanted our players to be reminded why they took back their rights,” Gaskins said. “They took back their rights to think of the 450, to think about the collective. I also wanted us to be reminded every day when we were coming to work why we come to work. We come to work to think 450. We don’t come to think of the top 10, top 50 (or) just LeBron (James) or Steph Curry.”

    The messaging extended to companies that THINK450 works with, according to Gaskins: “We were the only place that could provide you all 450 active players. No agency, no other brand, not even the NBA can give you all 450 players because we’re the ones that have the players’ rights. The NBA doesn’t.”

    Gaskins has worked in the sports and entertainment industries for nearly 30 years in a few high-profile roles. In 1994, one year after obtaining his MBA from Northwestern
    NWE
     University, he joined Reebok’s basketball division where he was a senior director of marketing. He was also instrumental in Reebok signing Allen Iverson to a 10-year, $50 million contract shortly before Iverson was selected with the first pick of the 1996 NBA draft out of Georgetown University.

    Gaskins had played basketball at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. with John Thompson III, whose father was Georgetown’s legendary coach. Gaskins got to know several people associated with the Georgetown program and established a rapport with Iverson. Other Reebok officials were interested in signing a deal with UMass star Marcus Camby, the No. 2 pick in the 1996 draft, but Gaskins thought Iverson was a much better choice.

    “I was just like, ‘I think Allen Iverson is the one. I think he’s the one that can help sell a lot of product,’” Gaskins said. “He was more relatable. He had that off the court, on the court appeal that I thought would appeal to a lot of young people. As they say, the rest is history.”

    After the 76ers drafted Iverson, Gaskins moved to Philadelphia and handled Reebok’s day-to-day business with Iverson, helping with footwear, apparel, commercials and anything else he needed.

    At Reebok, Gaskins later led the company’s RBK lifestyle brand. He also worked at Nike from 2008 to 2011 as head of marketing for the East Region from Maine to Florida.

    Gaskins said he was intrigued when the NBPA recruited him in 2017 because players unions typically are led by attorneys, accountants and financial people rather than someone like him whose expertise is in marketing.

    “Most unions really didn’t have a lot of true brand people and marketing people, people who understood how to build brands and do marketing,” he said. “One of the things I needed to do when I first go there internally was figure out how to make everyone understand the power of the brand, how to get everybody to understand the power of what creative marketing could do for a brand and how do I do it in a manner where it’s collaborative.”

    Since THINK450 was formed five years ago, it has struck licensing deals with apparel companies such as Fanatics and Nike and digital/gaming deals with EA Sports for the NBA 2K video games, Dapper Labs Inc. for the NBA Top Shot NFT platform and Sorare for an NBA NFT-based fantasy sports game. THINK450 and the NBA also have signed a deal that will see Fanatics have an exclusive license for NBA trading cards starting in 2026, replacing Panini.

    In addition, THINK450 has had partnerships with companies such as DoorDash to support Black-owned restaurants and Dove Men+Care for a national advertising campaign advocating for social justice and racial equality.

    Gaskins would not reveal how much money the players have made via these deals, but THINK450 has achieved a 31% compound annual growth rate since it was formed five years ago.

    “Every year, the players’ annual distribution amounts, what they call their licensing checks, every year that payment has gone up,” Gaskins said. “And it has gone up at a rate where from a market perspective, I wish there was a way for me to invest in it because nothing else in the market is giving anyone that type of return.”

    The NBPA’s collective bargaining agreement with the NBA expires after the 2023-24 season, although both sides can exercise an opt-out clause by Dec. 15. Gaskins said the NBPA plans on keeping its group licensing rights and maintaining THINK450 for years to come.

    “THINK450 is extremely important for us as players, as it allows us to control our collective brand and develop new and unique platforms off the court,” New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, the NBPA’s President, said in a news release. “Given Que’s strong career background and familiarity with the NBPA, we are excited to have him lead THINK450 officially, and I look forward to working with him to enhance what we can provide for the collective group of players from a business perspective.”

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    Tim Casey, Senior Contributor

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