How the NBA Was Stabbed in the Back

The National Basketball Association has been through a lot of ups and downs, but it seems like they’re on the verge of another major setback.

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How the NBA was betrayed

It’s been a long time coming, but the NBA finally got what it deserved. After years of coddling criminals, turning a blind eye to PEDs, and charging exorbitant prices for an inferior product, the league was stabbed in the back by the very same people it tried so hard to help.

How the NBA was backstabbed

The National Basketball Association (NBA) was dealt a severe blow when several of its star players were caught participating in illegal activities. The league was forced to suspend several players and issue heavy fines. This caused a public outcry and led to the NBA losing sponsorships and TV deals.

How the NBA was double-crossed

In the summer of 2010, the NBA was facing a lockout. The owners wanted to cut player salaries and the players weren’t going to agree to that. So, the two sides dug in and prepared for a long fight.

But then something unexpected happened. A group of wealthy NBA owners led by Michael Jordan secretly met with the players’ union and cut a deal without the league’s knowledge. The deal included a massive salary cap reduction for the players, and it was a huge victory for the owners.

The other NBA owners were furious when they found out about the secret meeting, and they felt betrayed by Jordan and the other owners who had gone behind their backs. The rift between the two groups of owners has never been healed, and it’s one of the biggest reasons why the NBA is in such turmoil today.

How the NBA was sold out

In the fall of 1984, the NBA was at a crossroads. The league was struggling to find its footing after the ABA-NBA merger four years earlier, and it was bleeding money. In an effort to stem the tide, the league turned to a familiar face: David Stern, who had served as outside counsel to the NBA for years. Stern was hired as the NBA’s executive vice president in February of 1984, and he wasted no time making his presence felt. Within months of taking over, Stern had negotiated a landmark television contract with CBS, which would see the network pay $1 billion over four years to air NBA games The deal was a huge coup for Stern, and it gave the league much-needed stability.

How the NBA was shafted

The National Basketball Association was founded in 1946, and since then, it has been one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the United States However, in recent years the NBA has been facing increasing criticism from fans and experts alike. One of the main points of contention is the league’s apparent lack of parity.

How the NBA was swindled

In the summer of 1998, the National Basketball Association (NBA) was presented with a unique opportunity. The league was at the peak of its popularity, fresh off a highly successful season that had seen record-breaking attendance and television ratings. The NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz had been the most-watched Finals since 1987, and Michael Jordan the league’s most recognizable star, had just won his sixth championship. With interest in the NBA at an all-time high, the stage was set for the league to capitalize on its momentum and secure its place as America’s premier sports league.

However, just as the NBA was poised to take over the sports world, it was unexpectedly stabbed in the back by a group of greedy owners who were more interested in lining their own pockets than growing the league. These owners demanding outrageous salaries for their players, driving up costs and putting smaller-market teams at a disadvantage. They also insisted on a hard salary cap which limited how much teams could spend on Player Salaries and ultimately led to a decline in player wages. As a result of these owner-driven decisions, the NBA entered into a period of decline from which it has never fully recovered.

How the NBA was cheated

It is no secret that the NBA has been cheated many times. This is how the NBA was stabbed in the back.

How the NBA was bamboozled

On April 18, 1946, a group of Arena Managers met in New York to discuss the operation of Professional Basketball In attendance were representatives from the American Basketball League the National Basketball League and the National Basketball Association The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways to increase attendance at games and to create a set of uniform playing rules. The result of the meeting was the formation of a professional basketball Committee with six members, three from each league.

How the NBA was taken for a ride

The NBA had a chance to be the first major professional sports league in America to fully embrace legalized gambling. But the league stabbed itself in the back—and took its fans for a ride.

How the NBA was had

On July 8, 2010, news broke that the NBA’s Board of Governors had unanimously voted to approve a complicated three-team trade involving the Cleveland Cavaliers the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers. The deal, which sent then-Cavaliers superstar Lebron James to the Lakers, was seen as a power grab by Los Angeles as they tried to form a superteam to take on the rest of the league.

But what many people don’t know is that there was another team involved in those trade discussions: the New Orleans Hornets. And according to former Hornets General Manager Dell Demps, his team was “stabbed in the back” by the NBA when they were left out of the deal.

In an interview with Complex’s Zach Lowe Demps revealed that the Hornets were close to being part of a four-team trade that would have sent James to Los Angeles but they were ultimately cut out of the deal by league officials.

“We had a trade worked out with Cleveland, Minnesota, and the Lakers where we would have gotten Kevin Love,” Demps said. “And then at the last minute, league office called and said that we couldn’t do it.”

Demps didn’t reveal why the league office intervened, but he did say that he believes his team was “punished” for trying to make a big splash in Free agency earlier that summer.

“I think we got punished for being aggressive early in free agency ” Demps said. “I think we got punished for making our moves.”

The four-team trade would have been monumental, as it would have paired two of the best players in the world (LeBron and Love) with one of the most popular players in NBA history (Kobe Bryant). It also would have created one of the most dominant teams in recent memory, as all three players were in their prime at that time.

Unfortunately for Demps and the Hornets, they were never able to recover from being left out of that deal and ended up becoming one of the worst teams in basketball over the next few years. They eventually bottomed out in 2014-15 when they went 10-42 before finally landing Anthony Davis via trade.