Report: NBA Players Reject Latest Collective Bargaining Offer From Owners

The NBA Players Association has rejected the owners' latest collective bargaining agreement proposal, Derek Fisher reported moments ago in a live press conference.

"Going forward, collective bargaining will not be how this process continues for us," Fisher said. "We'll let our legal team really lead the charge."

As a result of their decision to reject the owners' most recent proposal, the players will now likely move to file an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA. Such an action carries the potential of a long period of litigation which could force the cancellation of the NBA season.

"As of this moment, we're going to be in the process of converting the NBA Players Association into a trade association," NBPA executive director Billy Hunter said Monday.

The most recent bargaining proposal from the league offered the players a choice between a 50-50 split of basketball related income or a 49-51 band.  It also included a potential escrow system that reimburses owners for any amount that exceeds the negotiated BRI spent on player salaries.

The union’s executive committee reviewed the proposal Sunday night and has passed it on to the player reps to either endorse or reject it.

Commissioner David Stern has stated publicly that the deal presented to the players was the best the league had to offer to the players.  He had also stated that decertifying the union will only create future problems.