Article 29 MISCELLANEOUS

29.1 Active Roster Size.

Each Team agrees to have twelve (12) players on its Active List and to have a minimum of eight (8) players on the bench for all Regular Season games. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Team may from time to time as appropriate, but for no more than two (2) consecutive weeks at a time during the Regular Season, have eleven (11) players on its Active List.

29.2 Playing Rules and Officiating.

  1. One representative of the Players Association shall be permitted to attend the meetings of and have a vote on the NBA Competition Committee with respect to issues relating to the Official Playing Rules and Officiating.
  2. The Players Association may on behalf of the players annually submit to the Commissioner one (1) written critique of referees, without reference to any individual referee.

29.3 Playoffs.

The number of Teams participating in the playoffs shall equal sixteen (16). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the NBA shall have the right to increase the number of Teams participating in the playoffs.

29.4 Implementation of Agreement.

  1. The NBA and the Players Association will use their respective best efforts to have NBA Teams and NBA players comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
  2. The NBA and the Players Association shall use their respective best efforts and take all reasonable steps to cooperate to defend the enforceability of this Agreement against any challenge thereto.

29.5 Release for Fighting.

Each NBA Team (hereinafter “such Team”) hereby releases and waives every claim it may have against any player employed by other NBA Teams for injuries sustained by any player in the employ of such Team which arise out of or in connection with any fighting or other form of violent and/or unsportsmanlike conduct during the course of any Exhibition, Regular Season, and/or Playoff game.

29.6 Game Tickets for Retired Players.

Each Team agrees to provide retired players with three (3) or more years of NBA service with the opportunity to purchase two (2) tickets at box office prices to its NBA home games, and to hold such tickets for such players, provided tickets are available and the retired players provide the Team with forty-eight (48) hours advance notice of their desire for such tickets.

29.7 Limitation on Player Ownership.

During the term of this Agreement, no NBA player may acquire or hold a direct or indirect interest in the ownership of any NBA Team, provided, however, that any player may own shares of any publicly traded company that directly or indirectly owns an NBA Team.

29.8 Nondisclosure.

The parties agree that (a) the economic terms of any individual Uniform Player Contract entered into by a Team and a player and (b) any information contained in or disclosed to the Players Association in connection with the Audit Reports shall not be disclosed to the media by (i) the NBA, its teams, or their respective employees, or (ii) the Players Association, NBA players, or their respective employees, agents, or representatives.

29.9 Game Tickets.

  1. In the event that a Team provides home-game tickets to its players, seat locations must be allocated to players based on seniority, with the most senior players (based on years of NBA service) receiving the most favorable seat locations.
  2. NBA Teams shall provide four (4) tickets to authorized representatives of the Players Association to any home game at box office prices, provided notice of such request is given at least forty-eight (48) hours before the game.

29.10 Additional Canadian Provisions.

  1. The bases upon which a player may be disciplined or discharged or a Player Contract terminated, as set forth in this Agreement and/or in the Uniform Player Contract, shall constitute just and reasonable cause within the meaning of any applicable Canadian statute (federal or provincial).
  2. During the term of this Agreement, the NBA and Players Association shall consult regularly about issues relating to the workplace which affect the parties or any player bound by this Agreement.
    1. If and to the extent Sections 48 and 49 of the Ontario Labour Relations Act are or may be found applicable to this Agreement, the parties agree that the provisions thereof shall apply only to disputes between the Toronto Raptors and players for the Toronto Raptors.
    2. If and to the extent Section 84(2) of the British Columbia Labour Relations Code is or may be found applicable to this Agreement, the parties agree that the provisions thereof shall apply only to disputes between the Vancouver Grizzlies and players for the Vancouver Grizzlies.
  4. The parties acknowledge and agree that a player employed by an NBA Team pursuant to the provisions of a Uniform Player Contract, a 10-Day Contract, or a Rest-of-Season Contract is and/or shall be deemed to be an “employee employed for a definite term or task” within the meaning of Section 57(10)(a) of the Ontario Employment Standards Act and an “employee employed for a definite term” within the meaning of Section 65(1)(b) of the British Columbia Employment Standards Act, so as to render inapplicable to NBA players the provisions of Section 57 of the Ontario Employment Standards Act and Sections 63 and 64 of the British Columbia Employment Standards Act.
  5. The parties acknowledge and agree that the severance benefits provided to players pursuant to this Agreement (including the provisions of Player Contracts that provide, in certain circumstances, for the continued payment of Salary to a player following the termination of a Player Contract) constitute and/or shall be deemed to constitute a “settlement of all severance pay claims” within the meaning of Section 58(18) of the Ontario Employment Standards Act and/or “a contractual severance pay scheme under which payments for loss of employment based upon length of service are provided” within the meaning of Section 58(7)(b) of the Ontario Employment Standards Act, so as to render inapplicable to NBA players the provisions of such Section 58 of such Act.
  6. Upon the NBA’s request, the Players Association shall cooperate with the NBA in a reasonable manner in connection with any effort the NBA may make to seek an exemption from any Canadian (federal or provincial) law or regulation affecting the employment relationship that is inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement or any other agreement between the Players Association and the NBA (or NBA Properties) or between any player and any NBA Team.
  7. The parties hereby specifically exclude the operation of subsections (2) and (3) of Section 50 of the British Columbia Labour Relations Code.
  8. All players employed by NBA Teams shall be paid in U.S. dollars, regardless of where such Teams are located.

29.11 Mandatory Programs.

NBA players shall be required to attend and participate in educational programs designated as “Mandatory Programs” by the NBA and the Players Association. Such Mandatory Programs, which shall be jointly administered by the NBA and the Players Association, shall include a rookie transition program (for rookies only), a substance abuse awareness program, a gambling awareness program, an HIV awareness program, and such other programs as the NBA and the Players Association shall jointly designate as mandatory.