National Basketball Association

Reaction to NBA players rejecting league's offer

Published Nov. 15, 2011 12:52 a.m. ET

foxsports

NBA players rejected the league's latest offer Monday and began disbanding the union, likely jeopardizing the season:

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''This is the best decision for the players. I want to reiterate that point, that a lot of individual players have a lot of things personally at stake in terms of their careers and where they stand. And right now they feel it's important - we all feel it's important to all our players, not just the ones in this room, but our entire group - that we not only try to get a deal done for today but for the body of NBA players that will come into this league over the next decade and beyond.'' - NBPA president Derek Fisher

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''Billy Hunter has decided to put the season in jeopardy and deprive his union members of an enormous payday.'' - NBA Commissioner David Stern in an ESPN interview.

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''The fact that the two biggest legal adversaries in the NFL players dispute over the NFL lockout both agree that the NBA lockout is now illegal and subject to triple damages speaks for itself. I am delighted to work together with David Boies on behalf of the NBA players.'' - Jeffrey Kessler, representing the NBA players' association.

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''The players feel that we're not prepared to accept the ultimatum. They thought it was extremely unfair,'' NBPA executive director Billy Hunter.

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''I'm an older guy so every year that I miss is one I can't get back. So it's frustrating, but more important than just playing basketball, we've got to fight for what we believe is right. Under the conditions that were presented to us, it wouldn't be a conducive working environment.'' - NBPA VP Keyon Dooling.

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''We're not gonna be Strong-Armed.''- Nets guard Anthony Morrow on Twitter.

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''This is unfortunate because of the timing. ... If (the Memphis Grizzlies) were 22-60, people might say `who cares?' For a city like Memphis, it couldn't happen at a more terrible time.'' - Kevin Kane, president of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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''We laid out the facts. We told them we could potentially, again, miss the entire season. Everybody understands the consequences and we're unified.'' - union vice president Maurice Evans.