NBA All-Star Strike Is a Possibility

The NBA Players Assn. made its first bold move at the All-Star Game in Boston 24 years ago this month.

The players, including Bill Russell, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson, voted to boycott the game unless they were given a pension plan by the owners.

Nearly an hour after the game was scheduled to start, the owners agreed to a plan and the game was played.

Next month in Chicago, two days before the All-Star game on Feb. 7, player representatives and All-Stars will meet again. Another All-Star strike vote is a distinct possibility.

Larry Fleisher, general counsel for the union in 1964 and today, said an All-Star strike is one of several options open to the players. The union and the NBA owners are deadlocked over the issues of free agency, the existence of the college draft and the salary cap system.

A federal court trial that could decide these issues will start in the next few months, and Fleisher is even considering disbanding the union to rob the NBA of antitrust violations exemptions earned through collective bargaining.

But the most immediate option for the players is the potential of striking the All-Star Game.

“A strike could be an effective weapon in getting this thing settled,” said Denver’s Alex English, a six-time All-Star and an NBAPA vice president. “It’s something we’re strongly considering. I think everyone would go along with it if that’s what we decide to do.

“It would get the message across to the NBA owners. They have a contract with CBS to do the game and it’s something they do not want to tarnish.”

English said the idea has not been discussed with many rank-and-file players. Several possible All-Star selections said they had not heard about the possible strike.

“I haven’t heard anything yet,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a 17-time All-Star, said. “I don’t know what’s at stake yet. Once you know what’s at stake, you can figure out what’s in your best interest. I’ve got to wait until I get more information.”

“It’s the first I’ve heard about it,” said Golden State’s Ralph Sampson, a three-time All-Star. “I don’t know what’s going on with the Players Association. I’m sure if they decide to boycott the All-Star game, it’s a negotiating tactic.

“I know it would take a little away from the fans. But it’s a business. You do what you have to do.”

“I haven’t heard anything about this,” said Clyde Drexler, one of the NBA’s leading scorers this season. “I guess we’re a little disorganized.”

Boston’s Kevin McHale, a three-time All-Star who admitted he is not a strong union advocate, said an All-Star strike is a bad idea.

“The NBA has a very good image now and there are a lot of good young players and superstars,” McHale said. “It’s a good product and to go on strike now would hurt. It’s a no-win situation.”

Fleisher said that union solidarity has been helped along by the owners in the past.

“It’s a good thing the owners do enough silly things to let the players recognize the importance of the union,” Fleisher said. “The way they’ve cheated on the right of first refusal helps a lot. The fact that they’ve been egregiously selfish helps.”

Magic Johnson, a perennial All-Star and always among the leading vote-getters in fan balloting for the All-Star game, said it would be a group decision about whether to strike next month’s game.

“If that’s what we decide as a group, it’s a good idea,” said Johnson, the Los Angeles Lakers’ player representative. “We don’t know if we’re going to do it. It has to start with Larry and the officers voting, and then the player reps.

“The All-Star game is a big game for everybody. It means a lot, so we have to make a statement of where it’s going to hurt the most. We can boycott, and if that’s not enough, we’ll do something else.”

“What we are going to do is wait and see what happens. Hopefully, things will be worked out before that (a strike) happens,” added another probable All-Star, Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins.