Agreement REACHED To End NBA Lockout

The NBA and the Players Association have reached a tentative agreement to END the five-month old lockout and start the season on Dec. 25.

After 16 hours of negotiations Friday, the two sides reached a handshake agreement a little after 3 a.m. ET. Both sides must still get final vote approval from owners and players to finalize the agreement NBA commissioner David Stern held a news conference with Players Association executive director Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher at 3:40 A.M. in New York.

“We’re optimistic that the [agreement] will hold and we’ll have ourselves an NBA season,” Stern said. Free agency and training camps will start on Dec. 9, Stern said.

After disbanding as a union and filling an antitrust suit against the NBA, the Players Association can immediately reform as a union and hold a vote to ratify the deal. The terms of the agreement included a 50-50 revenue split, a source said.