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NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement expires
June 30, 2011, Midnight. The league announces it will lock out the players when the CBA expires at midnight. Lockout begins at 12:01 a.m. on July 1. -
Period: to
2011 NBA Lockout
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Players Union agrees
The players union sends a memo to the players supporting their desires and plans to play basketball overseas. -
Deron Williams signs overseas contract
Nets guard Deron Williams signs a contract with Turkey's Besiktas. The deal includes an opt-out clause that allows Williams to return to the NBA once the lockout ends. This marks first significant NBA player to sign an overseas contract due to the lockout. -
NBA files unfair labor charges
The NBA files unfair labor charges against the players union. -
Chinese Basketball Association rules
The Chinese Basketball Association rules that it will only welcome NBA free agents -- not those under contract under the previous CBA -- and that they must stay for the entire Chinese season. -
NBA Players Union
Rather than sit inactive in between talks with the NBA, the players union holds regional informational sessions in Chicago, New York and other locations with players to keep them up to date in the negotiations. -
Sides Meet
Sides meet for six hours in New York in the second joint meeting since the lockout began. Both the union and NBA opt for privacy rather than discussing the particulars of the meeting, making progress difficult to gauge. -
Meetings Continue
Meetings continue with another six-hour session. Both sides remain cautious not to portray any optimism. "Time is running down, not necessarily out, but I think we all feel in the room that if we continue to work at it we can possibly find a way to get a deal done.” Derek Fisher, PG Los Angeles Lakers, President of the National Basketball Players Association -
Jordan fined
Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is fined $100,000 for public comments made about the labor dispute. -
Talks resume
Talks resume for the third time in two weeks with the additional attendance of the owners' labor relations committee and the union's executive committee. Despite the increase in the parties present at the meeting, the talks do not prove to be positive as both sides continue to disagree on changes to the salary cap structure. -
J.R. Smith signs overseas
J.R. Smith signs a one-year deal to play in the Chinese Basketball Association. Under ruling from the Chinese league, Smith will not be able to return to the NBA if there is a 2011-12 season. -
Training camp threatened
After another unsuccessful meeting between the heads of the NBA and players union, the threat of training camps and some exhibition games being cancelled becomes more of a reality. Both Stern and Fisher state that "the calendar is not our friend" as the sides continue to hammer at a new collective bargaining agreement. -
Training camps cancelled
The league announces that training camps are being postponed indefinitely and all preseason games scheduled for October 9 - 15 will be cancelled. -
Kobe Bryant agrees to overseas deal
Kobe Bryant reportedly agrees to a 10-game, $3 million deal with Italian team Virtus Bologna. The deal would allow Bryant to return to the Lakers immediately if the lockout ends. -
Meetings continue
The longest meeting between both sides since the lockout began July 1 takes place as the NBA and union talk for seven hours. The majority of the session is devoted to the salary cap structure, which the players insist on keeping the same while owners push for a number of changes. -
"Huge Day" unproductive
The sides meet for about four hours on the "very huge day” and fail to reach agreement on the split of basketball-related revenue. The NBA announces the cancellation of the entire 114-game preseason schedule. -
First two weeks of NBA season cancelled
Both sides reconvened for a little over seven hours but were unable to come to terms, resulting in the first two weeks of the NBA season being canceled. Commissioner Stern said both sides are "very, very far apart" on a new CBA and that the longer it takes to come to an agreement, the more owners will try to recoup monetary losses incurred through canceled games. -
Mediator George Cohen meets for session
Federal mediator George Cohen meets individually with both sides in preparation for a joint session scheduled for the following day. -
Meetings continue
NBA players and owners spend 16 hours meeting with Cohen and plan to return the next day at 10 a.m. to continue the talks. -
Talks break
NBA labor talks turned nasty and broke off when three days of meetings failed to yield a deal to end a 112-day lockout, raising the likelihood that even more games will be canceled.
After 30 hours of negotiations before a federal mediator, the sides remained divided over two main issues -- the division of revenues and the structure of the salary cap system. -
Progress made
Sides negotiate for more than 15 hours, making incremental progress on the "system" issues. -
Talks crash
After seemingly making progress the day before, talks crashed, with BRI the main culprit. With talks stalled, Stern canceled all games through Nov. 30. -
Ultimatum given
After meeting separately during the morning, the two sides met for 8.5 hours, with federal mediator George Cohen returning to help find a compromise. The NBA proposed a new offer to the players, and set a deadline of Nov. 9 at the close of business for the players to accept. The players declared the offer an "ultimatum" and gave no indication that they would accept the league's latest proposal. -
Players reject proposal
Forty three players, including representatives from 29 teams, including superstars Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin, met for about three hours Tuesday afternoon to discuss the owners' latest proposal. In a post-meeting news conference, they rejected the proposal and said the union wanted more negotiations before the 5 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 9) deadline imposed by Stern. The union indicated there were system issues that needed to be modified if players were going to accept a split. -
Players reject again
After spending the weekend mulling the NBA's offer, players arrived in New York City and rejected the league's latest proposal for a new labor deal and began disbanding, paving the way for a lawsuit that throws the season in jeopardy. -
Players file lawsuits
The locked-out players, including Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant, file class-action antitrust lawsuits against the league in northern California and in Minneapolis. NBA players’ attorney David Boies said the NBA lockout violates antitrust laws by refusing to allow players to work. -
Talks turn positive
Talks aimed at ending the NBA lockout resumed, with a quick settlement necessary to start the season by Christmas. NBA commissioner David Stern has said repeatedly that the league would need 30 days from a handshake deal to tipoff of a regular season, not only to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement but to prepare for the business of basketball (free agency, training camps, a possible "preseason" game or two). That would suggest a deadline of Friday, Nov. 25, for Chris -
Agreement reached
NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement early Saturday to end the 149-day lockout. After a secret meeting earlier this week, the sides met for more than 15 hours Friday, working to try to save the season. 26: After another marathon bargaining session, the sides reach a tentative deal and expect a 66-game regular season to start Christmas Day. -
NBA season begins
NBA season is set to start Christmas Day with several high-powered matchups, including a rematch of the previous seasons NBA Finals. The Christmas Day lineup includes: Boston Celtics @ NY Knicks
Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks
Chicago Bulls @ LA Lakers
Orlando Magic @ OKC Thunder
LA Clippers @ GS Warriors
