Report: NBPA to use 2016 TV revenue to pay for former players' healthcare
The NBA Players Association is proposing a plan to use revenues from the league's new television deal to pay for past players' health-care, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
The NBPA will vote on passage of the union's initiative, which is being spearheaded by director Michele Roberts and could cost between $10 million-$15 million a year, at a July 20 membership meeting in Las Vegas, according to the report. The plan is expected to pass “with ease” the report said.
Under the plan, the NBPA will attempt to offer a menu of three separate health-care options to some 1,500 former players, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
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The association's plan could help retired players achieve everything from basic health-care needs to advanced operations such as joint replacements.
In October, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced a new league-wide television contract that will top $24 billion over nine years. The average annual purse of of $2.7 billion will be distributed equally across all 30 teams.
The contract is expected to raise both team revenues and individual player salaries following the completion of the 2015–16 season. The calculation of the 2015–16 season's salary is set to be released on Thursday.
