\nAP Sports Writers, Associated Press <\/p>\n
\tNEW YORK (AP) \u2013 The NBA is soaring higher than ever.<\/p>\n
\tWith a growing global reach and international players dotting most rosters, a group of marketable rising young superstars led by Stephen Curry, more competitive balance, financial stability, and an upcoming infusion of $24 billion from a television deal, the league is bouncing beautifully.<\/p>\n
\tThe state of the game couldn\u2019t be much better. However, everyone knows good times can fade fast.<\/p>\n
\tThere\u2019s a pivotal play developing over the next few years that could threaten the thriving league again. As the movers and shakers in the pro basketball industry gathered this past weekend for All-Star festivities celebrating the league\u2019s past and present, there were watchful eyes on an uncertain future.<\/p>\n
\tWith players and owners able to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement after the 2016-17 season, a labor battle looms \u2013 and players plan to be prepared.<\/p>\n
\tThe NBA Players Association unanimously elected LeBron James as vice president last week at its annual meeting. James\u2019 presence on the executive committee \u2013 and perhaps at the bargaining table \u2013 is a sign the union means business.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe had a lockout before when I was in the league and our game was really good at that time, too,\u201d James, the four-time MVP and face of the sport told The Associated Press during the NBA\u2019s mid-season showcase. \u201cHopefully, we don\u2019t have to reach that point because both sides love where we\u2019re at and what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tOn the surface, it\u2019s hard to find many flaws with the league\u2019s current status.<\/p>\n
\tRatings are high, the value of franchises has exploded and Commissioner Adam Silver has taken the ball from David Stern and powered forward. Silver, who recently celebrated one year on the job, has skillfully navigated around some sticky issues, including the racial remarks made by former Clippers owner Donald Sterling that could\u2019ve divided players and ended up uniting them.<\/p>\n
\tSilver acted quickly in removing Sterling, and his swift punishment strengthened a relationship with players that will undoubtedly be tested in the years ahead. Those potentially crippling issues are out of sight now, and a widening international audience is tuning in to see NBA action.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe game is bigger than ever,\u201d said James, Cleveland\u2019s star now in his 12th season. \u201cThe money that\u2019s generated is bigger than ever and our athletes and our guys are doing what they need to do on the floor and off it to represent the game at a high level. So hopefully we don\u2019t have to come to the point that we were in 2011-12, when we had the lockout. The process is going to get started and we don\u2019t have to come to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tFollowing the 2010-11 season, owners were able to negotiate a CBA that was more in their favor, cutting the players\u2019 share of basketball-related income from 57 percent to roughly 50, costing them millions in annual salaries. That contract runs through 2021, but with the economic boost \u2013 $2.6 billion per year \u2013 coming from the TV contract, players will fight harder for a larger portion of the pie.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe want to negotiate a little better than we did last time,\u201d said Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be well-equipped to stand toe-to-toe with the NBA and negotiate a fair deal. That\u2019s what we want \u2013 just a fair deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tIt\u2019s not like Silver isn\u2019t paying attention.<\/p>\n
\tThe commissioner has listened to the players on several fronts already, and he promised last weekend to take a harder look at scheduling and reducing the number of back-to-back games and the grueling, four-games-in-five-nights stretches to help keep players \u2013 \u201cour partners,\u201d he calls them \u2013 fresh and the product crisp. Silver, too, will consider a makeover of the playoff format so that the best teams qualify.<\/p>\n
\tSilver is concerned with keeping the game relevant amid stiff competition from other sports. It\u2019s vital to stay affordable and attractive to an aging population as well as the next generation of hoop fans. It\u2019s entertainment, after all, and Silver wants to keep the NBA in the center of the spotlight.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI realize we have to earn the fans\u2019 support every day,\u201d he told The AP. \u201cOver the course of my business career I\u2019ve seen a lot of great businesses seemingly disappear. We don\u2019t take anything for granted and we realize that especially when it comes to the changing world of television that we have to focus on what\u2019s happening on tablets and smartphones and how young people are consuming media.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tSilver sees other ways the NBA can increase profit margins.<\/p>\n
\tHe\u2019s the first commissioner of a major professional sports league in the U.S. to publicly support legalizing sports betting outside of Nevada. He wants Congress to change the federal ban on sports gambling and craft a structure that allows states to legalize and regulate betting.<\/p>\n
\tThat could bring billions more in revenue to the league, though it also could create challenges to protect the game\u2019s integrity, last tested by the scandal involving former referee Tim Donaghy in 2007.<\/p>\n
\tOn the court, the game has been pure basketball bliss.<\/p>\n
\tThere has been a return to team play with the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks \u2013 the conference leaders at the break \u2013 picking up where the San Antonio Spurs left off in last year\u2019s Finals when their selfless style dismantled the Miami Heat.<\/p>\n
\tTeams are breaking away from isolation play and trying to copy San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich\u2019s pace-and-space system. Leading the way is a pair of Popovich\u2019s coaching prot\u00e9g\u00e9es, Golden State\u2019s Steve Kerr and Atlanta\u2019s Mike Budenholzer, whose emphasis on ball movement is spreading rapidly.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cFive guys touching the ball and playing defense together,\u201d Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins said. \u201cIt\u2019s the way basketball was meant to be played.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe hope, for now, is that the togetherness continues, but both sides sense a bigger game coming off the court in 2017.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe\u2019ll take care of that once we get there,\u201d reigning MVP Kevin Durant said. \u201cWe\u2019re preparing now for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
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