NBA And Players Association Discussing Loss Of Pay Scenarios
Mar 31, 2020, 8:16 PM
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The NBA and the players association are discussing scenarios that could see the league’s players lose as much as 25 percent of their salary according to ESPN. In light of the coronavirus outbreak that has sidelined the league, the fate of the postponed games hangs in balance of the country’s ability to gain control of the pandemic.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, players could lose approximately one percent of their salaries per game missed due to the virus. As a result of the Force Majeure clause in the latest collective bargaining agreement, a loss of salary would be automatically triggered in light of any canceled games.
Players lose approximately 1 percent of salary per cancelled game based on Force Majeure provision, which covers several catastrophic circumstances, including epidemics/pandemics. Once/if there’s a cancellation of games, Force Majeure automatically triggers under language of CBA. https://t.co/JWbj9q7Can
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 1, 2020
Players will be paid their full expected salaries as of April 1 but may be required to repay their salaries for any missed games during the hiatus if the contests aren’t made up.
Further complicating further scheduling for the NBA are the continued bans on large gatherings put in place by cities that hold league franchises. On Tuesday, the city of Toronto outlawed public gatherings through June 30th.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in response to the provincial emergency order to prohibit organized public events and gatherings of more than five people, the City of Toronto has cancelled all mass events and permits through to June 30. News release: https://t.co/yYjLq2yS0x pic.twitter.com/1tlOse6NEa
— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) March 31, 2020
A later tweet from the cities account implied that the ban did not apply to sporting events, though it’s not hard to imagine a scenario when any large gathering is banned depending on the containment of the virus.
If even one of the league’s 30 teams faced a city-wide ban it could force the NBA to relocate that franchise’s home games to a safer market to make up the final 20 games of the season.
Previously, the NBAPA had said it did not expect to see salaries reduced in light of the pandemic.
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