Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
The NBA fined Michael Jordan $100,000 for public comments he made last month about the lockout and one of the league’s players, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
In an Aug. 19 interview with The Herald Sun, a newspaper in Australia, the Charlotte Bobcats owner spoke extensively about the need for revenue sharing and mentioned Milwaukee Bucks’ Australian center Andrew Bogut.
That violated the league’s policy that bars team owners and employees from discussing the lockout or any players during the work stoppage. The NBA sent out a league-wide memo just before the lockout began on July 1 stating that anyone who broke the rules could be fined up to $1 million.
Jordan, who along with Bucks owner Herb Kohl recently lobbied other owners to support revenue sharing, told The Herald Sun: “We need a lot of financial support throughout the league as well as revenue sharing to keep this business afloat.
“We have stars like Bogut who are entitled to certain type of demands. But for us to be profitable in small markets, we have to be able to win ballgames and build a better basketball team.”
The players’ union has pushed the league to expand its revenue-sharing plan, saying a plan similar to that of the NFL and Major League Baseball would answer the financial woes of the clubs losing money. But the league, which claims to have lost $300 million last season, has countered that even vast revenue sharing would not allow it to turn a profit, according to sources.
Chris Broussard covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine.
Follow Chris Broussard on Twitter:Â @chris_broussard
