Miami Heat of America’s Nigerian-born star, Andre Iguodala has spoken out on behalf of all players in USA’s National Basketball Association (NBA), with a view that the new season should not commence if it would be detrimental to good health of the participants.
Megasportsarena.com reports that, speaking in his position as vice president of NBA players’ union, Iguodala stressed that maintaining good health for the stars should remain the top concern of everyone, as they continue to negotiate details for the upcoming season.
NBA officials are reportedly keen on a December 22 start, but there has been pushback from some of the game’s stars, who deem a pre-Christmas start to be too early.
The 2019-20 season ended less than a month ago as Iguodala’s Miami Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Finals series that concluded on October 11.
The playoffs were played out in a ‘bubble’ in Orlando as the season resumed in July almost four months after it had been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, that would mean all players on teams who did not go deep in the playoffs have had plenty of time to rest, such that Iguodala says only the best conditions will allow for play to resume.
The quick turnaround could call for Iguodala and the Heat, plus LeBron James and the Lakers, to be in training camp by December 1.
Because the NBA stopped play on March 11, the league reminded teams that all players will have had at least five months off in 2020.
A counter proposal to start the 2020-21 season in late January was rejected by owners and players due to the projected loss of four weeks of revenue approaching $1 billion.
The players union is reportedly pushing for escrow payments of 15 percent on all player salaries. As much as 18 percent could be withheld from salaries, per reports.
That would total approximately $720 million in player salary, reducing individual annual salaries of some of the NBA’s top stars by more than $6 million.
For example, the $34.4 million Los Angeles Clippers owe Kawhi Leonard for next season would be dropped to $28.2 million, while LeBron James’ $39.2 million salary would be just over $32 million, and Iguodala believes closer consideration should be given conditions under which players are made to feature for their teams.
Iguodala told ESPN: “We’re trying to get a good feel for the full body of players and giving them an understanding of what the climate looks like, all the different scenarios.
“What it looks like starting in December? What it looks like starting in January? But our number one concern is player health, being in the Covid-19 environment and also that quick turnaround.”
