Unhappy NBL players to seek legal advice over hardship fund

Already forced to take 50 per cent pay cuts this season, a big number of NBL players aren’t happy with a paltry offer of financial assistance.

A group of frustrated NBL players are seeking legal advice amid fears they could play out the rest of the season either unpaid or for a fraction of their salary having already taken 50 per cent pay cuts.

Nearly one-third of off-contract player deals end on April 30, which was agreed in December by the majority of players as the league navigated the impacts of COVID-19 disruptions.

The agreement also included the length of the season and the impact on player pay.

The adjusted 2020-21 season, which started late, will now extend into June for those players involved in the playoffs.

On Monday the Australian Basketball Players’ Association (ABPA) announced a “hardship fund” of $350,000 would be distributed to players impacted, a list that includes NBL stars Mitch McCarron and Adam Gibson.

The NBL has also contributed to this fund for impacted players following an extended season.

But the maximum each can extract from the fund is $4000, a figure well short of what they could expect from normal playing wages.

It is understood the criteria for extra support via the hardship fund will be based on a player’s employment status and financial circumstances.

One player told the NCA NewsWire that the situation was “brutal” given NBL players had taken up to a 50 per cent pay cut, which started early in the off-season and was agreed for 12 months.

The players had received the financial boost of Jobkeeper during COVID, but this assistance has now ceased.

Off-contract players will be forced to play out the season for nothing unless they receive approval for financial assistance. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images.

It’s a situation reflective of the challenges facing the NBL, which pushed through the pandemic without a major broadcast deal to prop up the league, its clubs and players.

The Australian Basketball Players’ Association was adamant an “overwhelming majority” of players voted for the hardship fund, but a significant number have voiced serious concerns.

They are now seeking legal advice after being told they could be fined or sued for breaking their contracts.

Players’ Association chief executive Jacob Holmes conceded it was an “extremely challenging” time for the players, but the hardship fund was the best it could offer.

Holmes also said the $4000 maximum amount could be increased based on a player’s application or if a player qualified for the finals.

All players who sign again for next season and beyond will be provided their full employment contract or salary rights but over a shorter period due to the extension of the current season.

“We understand it is extremely challenging, but that is why we put the substantial hardship fund in place to help the players through what has been a difficult season, and the majority of players understand that,” Holmes said.

“The fund is unprecedented in basketball, but that is what we’ve done to help the players get through it.”

NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger is also confident that all NBL players, contracted or not, will receive their full wage entitlements.

Loeliger declared the NBL is committed to helping the players through a difficult period.

“Those players who don’t have contracts next season may apply to the ABPA to instead receive a payment from the Hardship Fund, towards which the NBL has made a significant contribution,” Loeliger said.

“We will continue to work closely with the ABPA and support our players who have played a major role in making this season happen under very challenging circumstances.”

NBL players have already taken up to a 50 per cent pay cut. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

Originally published as Unhappy NBL players to seek legal advice over hardship fund