NBA: Referees and players meet to improve communication

A group of players and referees met on the sidelines of All-Star Weekend to discuss the ongoing tensions between referees and players. Both parties subsequently emphasized that the meeting had been very productive.

Members of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and the National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA) attended the meeting, which was described as highly productive in a statement by both parties. The following topics were discussed.

Further meetings are scheduled for spring and summer. The meeting on Saturday was seen as an important first step:”It was important to identify the existing frustration on both sides,”NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts is quoted as saying,”We will keep in touch to improve the situation on the field for both sides.”

The Referees’ side was also satisfied:”We have mentioned things that have been swept under the carpet in the past,”said NBRA spokesman Mark Denesuk,”We are looking forward to talking to each other in the future and discovering common interests”.

Commissioner Adam Silver was also pleased with the meeting on his PK:”That’s fantastic and a real statement,”said Silver,”The fact that these two groups want to get together and try to make things easier for each other is simply fantastic.”