In a historical move related to the tragic shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks did not come out of the locker room for their Game 5 playoff matchup against the Orlando Magic. For anyone who has been following the NBA for even the past couple of months, this might not come as a huge surprise. Players were hesitant to even show up for the restart and those in the “bubble” have been openly vocal about social justice issues, including the league’s biggest stars. The following is a quick overview of what the league can do about teams boycotting games.
The NBA’s Constitution and By-Laws are the governing document for situations like this and Article 36 of the document reads as follows:
ARTICLE 36
PENALTIES FOR FAILURE OF TEAM APPEARANCE
A Member whose Team for any reason fails to appear for or complete any scheduled game, whether Exhibition, Regular Season or Playoff, including overtime, except for causes beyond its reasonable control, (i) shall pay, in the discretion of the Commissioner, a sum in an amount not to exceed $2,500,000 for each of such games to the Member operating the opposing Team and, (ii) in the discretion of the Commissioner, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $5,000,000, to a forfeit of the game, or both.
To summarize, the boycotting team may be forced to pay up to $2.5 million to its opponent and one or both of a fine of $5 million and forfeit of the game. They key words in the paragraph are “in the discretion of the Commissioner.”
Although the Commissioner is in a difficult position, having to consider the effect of widespread boycotts on league revenues and TV contracts, based on his track record, including his treatment of Donald Sterling and his support of players kneeling for the national anthem, and the current social environment, it is very unlikely that Adam Silver will implement any of the penalties above.
The NBA has postponed all of the remainder of today’s games.
JD Sports Fan 