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Friday, August 05, 2016

NBA Players Association Increases Benefits for Retired Players, NBA Signs Contract Extension With NBRPA

Basketball's rich history should be acknowledged and appreciated not only by affording official recognition to ABA statistics but also by providing financial benefits and proper health care to the retired players who deserve and need such support. I was honored to tell the story of Bill Tosheff and the tireless efforts he made on behalf of the "pre-1965ers." It has been a long battle for retired players to receive assistance from the NBA and from the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) but recently there has been an important step in the right direction: the NBPA has agreed to spend between $12-$15 million per year to provide increased health care coverage for more than 1500 retired players. The previous health care plan only covered players who had retired after the 2000-01 season.

Also, the NBA and the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) recently signed a five year contract extension. The pact is now nearly 50% larger than before, as reported by Rebecca Theim. Theim's article, which focuses on the larger issue of players struggling to adjust to life after basketball, includes a link to my my discussion of Spencer Haywood's Supreme Court case in Basketball in America: From the Playgrounds to Jordan's Game and Beyond. Haywood's triumphant legal battle paved the way for the process now known as "early entry" and is a major reason that today's players receive mega-million dollar contracts. Haywood experienced some setbacks during and after his pro basketball career but he is doing well now: he was inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last year and his life story is told in a documentary titled Full Court.

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posted by David Friedman @ 2:10 PM

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