NBA Commissioner Silver responds to comments made by head of players union

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has fired back at comments reportedly made by National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Michele Roberts.

W. Scott Bailey

Reporter/Project Coordinator- San Antonio Business Journal

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If National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Michele Roberts had her way, she would toss out the current collective bargaining agreement between NBA owners and athletes.

" ... I contend that there is no reason in the world why the union should embrace salary caps or any effort to place a barrier on the amount of money that marquee players can make," said Roberts, according to an ESPN.com report.

Roberts takes issue with the 50-50 split of revenue players and owners agreed to in the current CBA, crafted with the help of Spurs Chairman Peter Holt, who chaired the NBA's labor relations committee and helped broker the deal. She suggested that owners play half the games.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was not impressed with Roberts' comments.

"The salary cap system, which splits revenues between team owners and players and has been agreed upon by the NBA and the Players Association since 1982, has served as a foundation for the growth of the league and has enabled NBA players to become the highest paid professional athletes in the world," said Silver in a statement. "We will address all of these topics and others with the Players Association at the appropriate time."

W. Scott Bailey covers health care, tourism, sports business, economic development; he also plans and edits some special reports.