NBA players file antitrust suits against the league
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The NBA labor dispute has moved a long way off the court -- and into the courtroom.
On Tuesday, a group of players filed separate lawsuits against the NBA, alleging antitrust violations, in federal courts in Minneapolis and Oakland.
Pistons guard Ben Gordon and the No. 2 pick in June’s NBA daft, Derrick Williams, plus two other players filed their suit in Minneapolis. Their case alleges the NBA owners’ latest offer for a new labor contract would have ‘wiped out the competitive market for most NBA players,’ according to the Associated Press.
Later in the day five players, including All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant, filed a similar case against the NBA in the Northern District of California in Oakland.
David Boies, an attorney representing the players, said in a press conference: ‘We hope it’s not necessary to go to trial.... [It’s in] everybody’s interests to resolve this quickly.’
On Monday, the NBA players’ union rejected the league’s latest contract and began disbanding the union so players could file antitrust suits against the league.
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-- Barry Stavro
