Sports
NBA, Players Reach Deal For A New Labor Agreement
The NBA’s most profitable period will continue for at least six more years, thanks to a tentative deal between the league and its players on a new Collective Bargaining deal that will take effect this summer.
It took more than a year of bargaining, with the intensity and expectation increasing in recent days, and the handshake agreement was reached in the early hours of Saturday morning — shortly after the league intended to notify the NBAPA of its intention to opt out of the current CBA on June 30.
Instead, an agreement was reached, at least in theory. “The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is subject to ratification by players and team governors,” the league said shortly before 3 a.m. Eastern.
Technically, it will be a seven-year agreement, but either party can opt out a year early, meaning labor peace will last only until the 2028-29 season. It will also usher in the age of an in-season tournament, which Commissioner Adam Silver has long desired.
Teams will be issued an 80-game schedule for next season in August unless something changes. Among those 80 games will be four “tournament” games that will score in regular-season standings. All teams will ultimately have two more games added to their schedule to complete the full 82-game slate; the two teams that reach the tournament final will play an 83rd game that will not count in the standings.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have reached a tentative agreement.
According to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press, among other details:
- Players will generally have to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for top individual awards such as Most Valuable Player.
- The maximum value of contract extensions will increase.
- Teams will now have access to a third two-way contract, potentially increasing roster sizes from 17 to 18.
The individual spoke anonymously because neither the league nor the National Basketball Players Association made any public statements.
Once achieved, a second luxury tax level will prevent teams from using their midlevel exception to sign players, according to the CBA. Given how some teams wanted the so-called “upper spending limit,” which would have essentially installed an absolute ceiling on what can be spent each season and helped balance the playing field between teams willing to pay massive tax bills — such as the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors — and those who aren’t, that was a clear compromise.
“Once again, the players fail… “Teams in the middle and lower tiers don’t spend because they don’t want to,” Golden State’s Draymond Green said on Twitter. “They want to fail. To increase their spending power to grow it. They keep removing the center. And this is why we hurried into a deal?”
CJ McCollum, a guard for the New Orleans Pelicans, said he welcomes feedback from all players but added, “You can’t make everyone happy.” That is not feasible.
“You have to be able to do what’s best for the collective,” McCollum said following the Pelicans’ victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. “There are 450 players and 450 different points of view, including mine.”… It comes down to having a happy medium in certain areas.”
The new CBA will not reinstate the policy that allowed high school players to join the NBA draft.
The new CBA will not reinstate the policy that allowed high school players to join the NBA draft. It’s been discussed and on the agenda for months, but the regulation isn’t going away anytime soon — at least not for the next CBA.
“We also appreciate that there is a lot of benefit to having veterans who can bring those 18-year-olds along,” NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said during an NBPA news conference during All-Star weekend in February. “And so, to be quite honest, anything that we would even consider would have to include a component that would allow veterans to be a part of it as well.”
Silver stated after a Wednesday two-day Board of Governors meeting that he was optimistic about reaching an agreement by the weekend — a clear positive sign. The current CBA, which went into effect on July 1, 2017, included a mutual choice for either the NBA or the NBPA to opt out after six seasons or on June 30, 2018.
The agreement reached on Saturday does not end the process, but it is a significant move forward.
The owners must decide what the negotiators have hammered out, and the players must vote to accept the deal. The document is then written — the most current CBA/NBA was around 600 pages long, with nearly 5,000 paragraphs and 200,000 words. Much of it will be the same, and much of it will need to be revised.
And, even though these talks lasted more than a year, this is the second straight CBA that has been negotiated without the dysfunction that preceded the talks in 2011 — when the league ended up locking out players for 161 days and had to shorten the 2011-12 season from 82 to 66 games.
There was no appetite for a strike, not after the NBA’s revenue surpassed $10 billion for the first time and basketball-related income surpassed $8.9 billion, another milestone. According to Silver, the NBA is on track to sell out more games than ever before this season.
SOURCE – (AP)
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics promises to be unlike any other.
In a novelty for the Games, the show will be held on Paris’ famed River Seine rather than in a stadium.
Here is everything you need know about the ceremony…
What to expect from the spectacular opening ceremony.
The eye-catching celebration will take place over a 6km stretch of the Seine. It will start at Austerlitz Bridge and culminate among the gardens, fountains, and palaces in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero.
Almost 100 boats will carry over 10,000 athletes and dignitaries as they cruise past Paris’ prominent monuments such as Notre Dame Cathedral and Pont Neuf.
The boats will transport the parade’s participants as well as the artistic portion of the celebration, which will highlight Paris and France’s history and culture.
The performers’ identities, however, have been kept a mystery.
Thousands of people are still expected to line the river and streets, with millions more watching on television all over the world.
“I’d like to show France in all its diversity,” said Thomas Jolly, the French actor and theatre director appointed as the ceremony’s creative director, a post previously played by Danny Boyle in London 2012.
“Illustrate the richness and plurality shaped by its history, which has been influenced and inspired by the diverse cultures that have passed through it, while itself serving as a source of inspiration.”
The ceremony will also involve the ceremonial opening of the Games, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
Many of the finer elements have been maintained as a surprise.
What is the date and time of the opening ceremony?
The ceremony will commence at 19:30 local time (18:30 BST) on Friday, July 26.
It is scheduled to take little under four hours, with the last parts taking place as the sun sets over the French city.
Fortunately, the Paris weather forecast for Friday evening is positive.
In what sequence will the nations be introduced?
In accordance with tradition, Greece will be the first nation introduced during the ceremony.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, an NBA star, is one of their flagbearers for the games.
Greece will be followed by the Refugee Olympic Team, with hosts France being the last to be unveiled.
Because of their countries’ involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, Russian and Belarussian athletes participating as individuals will not participate.
How to follow the opening ceremony on BBC.
The opening ceremony will begin live at 17:45 BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app.
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will provide radio coverage beginning at 19:00 BST.
There will also be live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app, bringing you all the action from Paris.
Source: BBC
Sports
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
PARIS — Coco Gauff, a tennis player, will join LeBron James as a flag bearer for the United States Olympic team at Friday’s opening ceremony.
Coco, the reigning US Open winner, is ready to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Games, becoming the first tennis player to carry the American flag. Team USA athletes selected her and James.
“I believe the Olympics are the priority. It’s equal to the Grand Slams. I wouldn’t put it above or below because I’d never played before. “This is my first time,” Gauff explained earlier this year. “I always want to do well and get a medal.”
Coco Gauff | AP News Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
Coco and James, the 39-year-old NBA’s all-time top scorer, engage in sports outside the traditional Olympic realm and receive media attention year-round rather than every four years.
Coco, 20, joined the American team for the Tokyo Olympics as a youngster three years ago but had to withdraw because she tested positive for COVID-19 just before flying to Japan.
Coco, who now lives in Florida, has won Grand Slam titles in both singles and doubles. She earned her first major triumph in New York in September, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the singles final of the U.S. Open, and then won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June with Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova.
The Paris Olympics will be played on the same clay courts at Roland Garros used for the French Open. The bracket draw will take place on Thursday, and play will begin on Saturday.
Coco is seeded second in singles, matching her current WTA ranking behind Poland’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and will be one of the medal favorites.
Coco Gauff | AP news Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
She and her normal doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, are seeded first in the women’s doubles. Gauff may also compete in mixed doubles; however, those pairs have yet to be determined.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on it, because I want to fully enjoy the experience,” Gauff said of her Olympic debut. “Hopefully I can have the experience multiple times in my lifetime, (but) I’ll treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
SOURCE | AP
When LeBron James was chosen for his first Olympics in 2004, he was unsure what the opening ceremony entailed.
This time, he’ll be a star of the show.
His fellow American Olympians chose James to be the male flagbearer for the United States at the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on Friday night. He is the third basketball player — and the first men’s player — to carry the United States flag at the start of an Olympics, following Dawn Staley in 2004 and Sue Bird in 2021.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James told reporters. “As a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only me, but to my family, all the kids in my community, my teammates, other Olympians, and so many more people throughout the country with huge dreams. Sports have the capacity to unite us all, and I’m honored to be a part of this historic occasion.”
The 39-year-old James learned of the distinction Monday in London, just hours before the United States men’s team was supposed to play its final pre-Olympics exhibition game against World Cup champion Germany.
“We understand how much of an honor it is to be in that position and I think Bron’s entire career, on and off the court, speaks for itself as him being worthy of that honor,” Curry said on the video announcing his nomination.
“He has represented what it means to be excellent both on and off the court in his commitment to service and to uplifting the community in all ways that he knows how has been a lifelong passion,” Curry pointed out. “And the work speaks for itself.”
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
The female U.S. flagbearer is anticipated to be revealed on Tuesday. In 2020, the International Olympic Committee announced that country delegations would have two flagbearers at the Olympics’ opening ceremony, one male and one female, to encourage gender equality. The United States is set to send around 600 competitors to the Paris Games, with approximately 53% women.
“Being chosen by your teammates to carry the flag is a tremendous honor—and a testament to LeBron’s passion for Team USA and dedication to his sport,” U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said.
James, a global icon, four-time NBA champion, and the league’s all-time leading scorer about to begin his record-tying 22nd NBA season, is set to compete in the Olympics for the fourth time, having previously won bronze in 2004, gold in Beijing in 2008, and gold again in London in 2012. He participated in the opening ceremony at his previous three Olympics.
This will be an unprecedented Olympic opening ceremony, with thousands of participants sailing along the River Seine at nightfall toward the Eiffel Tower. According to Olympic officials, the route is a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) one, with some 320,000 spectators expected to watch from the river bank and an estimated 1 billion more watching on televisions around the world.
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
Not all Olympic athletes attend the opening ceremony; many miss it for logistical reasons, such as having to compete the next day. James and the four-time defending gold champion U.S. men shall begin Olympic competition on Sunday, when they face Serbia in Lille, France.
James and the American Olympians will have to wait longer than virtually any other nation for their voyage on the Seine. According to IOC protocol, Greece will lead the march, with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo serving as one of its two flagbearers. The Refugee Olympic Team and over 200 more national delegations will follow. The United States is slated to be next-to-last in the procession because Los Angeles will host the next Summer Olympics in 2028.
As the host, France will be the last nation to participate in the opening ceremony procession. Its men’s basketball team, which includes reigning NBA rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, begins Olympic competition on Saturday and is not scheduled to attend the opening ceremony.
SOURCE | AP
-
World2 weeks agoFormer President Trump Survives Being Shot at Pennsylvania Rally
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Huawei Launches 5G-A Pioneers Program at MWC Shanghai 2024: Paving the Way for a Connected Future
-
Sports4 weeks ago
NBA Draft: Kyle Filipowski Withdraws Unexpectedly From The First Round
-
Tech4 weeks ago
ChatGPT Answers Undiscovered Questions and Outperforms Students.
-
News4 weeks ago
US Supreme Court Rejects Drug Deal that Protects the Sackler Family
-
Health4 weeks ago
US Health Agency Issues Dengue Virus Infection Warning
