As part of a memo that was sent out to NBA players addressing the growing concerns surrounding the coronavirus, the NBPA detailed a “doomsday provision” that is included in the collective bargaining agreement.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the CBA includes a clause called the “Force Majeure Event,” which would normally only be activated in extreme cases, such as war or an epidemic.
The CBA includes a clause called the Force Majeure Event that includes multiple dramatic scenarios — including epidemics — that the league could trigger in the event of a worst case scenario. Other instances that could trigger the clause include natural disasters and war.
This clause could free NBA owners from paying players a percentage of their salaries if the season is canceled entirely due to the coronavirus, according to Wojnarowski. As of now, though, there has been no discussions about triggering this clause, and players will receive their next paycheck on Sunday:
According to Article XXXIX, Section 5 in the CB, players lose 1/92.6 of their salary for every game missed as a result of a Force Majeure Event (“FME”) — this refers to events or conditions that makes it impossible for the NBA to perform its obligation under the CBA.
Two NBA players have tested positive for the coronavirus. Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert was diagnosed earlier this week. His teammate, Donovan Mitchell, tested positive on Thursday. As a result, the league decided to suspend the 2019-20 regular season until health officials deem it safe enough to resume play.
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