The CBA Glossary
An explainer thing for the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement
Player promos and appearances
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Standard waiver rules
PROMOS:
Section 8. Promotional Activities.
(a) A players obligation (pursuant to Paragraph 13(d) of a Uniform
Player Contract) to participate, upon request, in all other reasonable
promotional activities of the Team and the NBA shall be deemed satisfied
if:
(i) during each Salary Cap Year of the period covered by such
Contract, the player makes seven (7) individual personal
appearances (at least two (2) of which shall be in connection
with season ticketholder events) and five (5) group
appearances for or on behalf of or at the request of the Team
(or Team Affiliate) by which he is employed and/or the
NBA. Up to two (2) of these twelve (12) appearances may
be assigned by the Team and/or the NBA in any Salary Cap
Year to NBA Properties. The player shall be reimbursed for
the actual expenses incurred in connection with any such
appearance, provided that such expenses result directly from
the appearance and are ordinary and reasonable. The player
shall also receive compensation from the Team by which he
is employed of $3,500, in accordance with Paragraph 13(d)
of the Uniform Player Contract, for each promotional
appearance he makes for a commercial sponsor of such
Team. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, with
respect to any Salary Cap Year during which a player makes
at least eight (8) appearances pursuant to this Section 8(a)(i),
for each subsequent appearance made by the player for a
commercial sponsor of the Team during such Salary Cap
Year, the player shall receive compensation from the Team
by which he is employed of $4,500.
Article II 45
(ii) Any personal or group appearance required under this
subsection (a) must:
(A) take place during (1) the period from the first day of
a Season through the day of the NBA Draft
following such Season, or (2) the off-season,
provided that no player may be required to make
more than one off-season appearance in any year
covered by his Contract and no player may be
required to make such an off-season appearance
unless he resides in or is otherwise located in the area
where the appearance is to take place;
(B) occur in the home city (or geographic vicinity
thereof) of the players Team (subject to Section
8(a)(ii)(A)(2) above) or in a city (or geographic
vicinity thereof) to which the player has traveled to
play in a scheduled NBA game;
(C) not occur at a time that would interfere with a
players reasonable preparation to play on the day of
a Team game;
(D) not occur at a time that would interfere with a
players ability to attend and participate fully in any
practice session conducted by the Team, taking into
account the commuting time from the practice to
the appearance;
(E) be scheduled with the player at least fourteen (14)
days in advance (by providing written notice to the
player of the time, nature, location, and expected
duration of the appearance) and called to his
attention again seven (7) days prior to the
appearance;
(F) not exceed a reasonable period of time; and
(G) not require the player to sign autographs as the
primary purpose of the appearance.
46 Article II
(iii) During each Salary Cap Year, a players participation in any
of the following activities shall count as one appearance
required by this Section 8 and Paragraph 13(d) of the
Uniform Player Contract:
(A) If requested by the NBA, an NBA Player Day as
described in Article XXXVII, Section 1(b); or
(B) If requested by his Team, (1) a live social media
Q&A session with fans conducted by the Team, or
(2) a player-focused content session conducted by
the Team at a location (other than a Team facility or
Team-controlled space) that has been secured by the
Team or, if mutually agreeable, the players home or
other player-controlled space; provided, however,
that no more than four (4) of a players required
appearances may be satisfied by participating in the
activities set forth in this Section 8(a)(iii)(B).
(iv) The player participates in reasonable fan appreciation
activities before and after home games, including, but not
limited to, signing autographs for fans, greeting fans, and
participating in merchandise giveaways to fans; provided,
however, that no player shall be required to participate in
more than four (4) such activities per Season.
(v) Teams shall be required to track promotional appearances
made by players in accordance with this Section 8 and
Paragraph 13(d) of the Uniform Player Contract and report
such information to the NBA. Upon request in respect of a
Team, the NBA shall provide such information to the
Players Association.
(b) Upon request by the Team, the NBA, or a League-related entity, and
subject to the conditions and limitations set forth below, the player shall
wear a wireless microphone during any game or practice, including warm-up
periods and going to and from the locker room to the playing floor. The
rights in any audio captured by such microphone shall belong to the NBA
or a League-related entity and may be used in any manner for publicity or
promotional purposes.
Article II 47
(i) The NBA or a League-related entity will be responsible for
providing the audio equipment and for the placement of the
microphone on the player in a location and manner that
minimizes interference with the players performance.
(ii) The audio captured by the wireless microphone worn by the
player (Player Audio) will be screened and approved prior
to airing by the telecast producer and an NBA
representative, and no such Player Audio will be aired live
without the prior consent of the player.
(iii) The NBA will use best efforts to ensure that a game telecast
will not include any Player Audio that contains profanity or
that could reasonably be considered prejudicial or
detrimental to the player or other players.
(iv) All audio tapes containing approved Player Audio will be
returned by the telecaster to the NBA and archived.
(v) At the request of the player or the Players Association, the
NBA shall make available a copy of the Player Audio.
(vi) In the event a player believes that any Player Audio excerpt
would be prejudicial or detrimental to him if replayed in any
non-game programming (e.g., home videos) or other
publicity or promotional content, and notifies the NBA to
that effect in writing within one hundred twenty (120) hours
of the recording of such audio, then neither the NBA nor
any League-related entity, following receipt of such notice
from the player, shall incorporate, or license others to
incorporate, such excerpt into any such content.
(vii) No player, without his consent, may be required to wear a
wireless microphone (A) for nationally-televised games,
more than one (1) game per month in any Regular Season
covered by his Contract, (B) for locally-televised games,
more than one (1) game per month in any Season covered
by his Contract, or (C) for playoff games, more than two (2)
games per playoff round in any Season covered by his
Contract.
48 Article II
(viii) At the beginning of each Season, players will receive written
notice of the conditions and limitations set forth in
Sections 8(b)(i)-(vii) above.
(ix) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement,
Player Audio shall not be used as the basis for the imposition
of discipline upon any player.
(c) Upon request by the NBA or the Team, a player that is in attendance
but not dressed for or able to play in a game shall participate in an in-game
interview from the Team bench. No player, without his consent, may be
required to participate in more than one such in-game interview per week.
(d) Each player shall be required to participate each Season, upon
request, in promotional activities for the benefit of the NBAs television
partners, provided that such participation does not exceed one (1) hour per
player per Season and that the player is reimbursed for any reasonable
expenses he incurs in connection with such participation.
Waiver claims
Partial waiver claims
If the NBA plans to launch a league-wide
public service campaign - such as a charitable initiative, social awareness
campaign, voter registration drive, health campaign, or similar league-sponsored
effort - it must notify the Players Association at least two weeks before
asking any player to participate. ⓘArticle
XXIX (Miscellaneous): Section 17 (League-Wide Public Service Campaigns):
The NBA will notify the Players Association of any league-wide public service
campaign to be implemented by the NBA at least two (2) weeks before any player
is requested to appear on behalf of such campaign.
Amnesty waivers
Standard waiver rules Tax calculations Tax Rates Repeater tax
MAIN TAKEAWAYS:
- The more your team are over the luxury tax threshold, the more your team will pay.
- The more regularly your team is over the luxury tax threshold, the more your team will pay, too.
- Teams under the tax threshold not only avoid penalty, but get rebates, which do not change their salary cap picture but which do improve the cash position.
- In addition to the luxury tax - whose effectiveness as a payroll deterrent had dwindled in light of the Golden State Warriors' extravagant spending - the NBA has recently introduced the "apron" thresholds, which exist in addition to the tax, and which are designed to reduce excessive spending not just through extra payments but through reduced spending options. See the Aprons page for more.