36 / 56
Y O U N G L A W Y E R S J O U R N A L
AN OVERVIEW ON CHANGES AND SURPRISES IN THE 2017 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
The New NBA
By Matthew E. Misichko
W
hile many Americans equate
the first few days of July with
celebrating our nation’s inde-
pendence, others define early July as the
beginning of a new season in the National
Basketball Association.
On July 1, 2017, the NBA and the
National Basketball Players Association
began to operate under a new Collective
Bargaining Agreement. The Agreement is
effective from July 1, 2017 until June 30,
2024. However, the NBA and the NBPA
each have the option to terminate the
Agreement at the end of the sixth season of
the current Agreement (June 30, 2023) so
long as the terminating party gives written
notice by December 15, 2022.
The following piece contains a general
overview of the Agreement, changes from
the current Agreement as compared to the
previous collective bargaining agreement
(entered into in 2011), and some surpris-
ing provisions pertaining to the world of
professional athletes. The Agreement is a
36
SEPTEMBER 2017