ARTICLE XX: SCHEDULING
INDEX
Section 1. Training Camp
Section 2. Exhibition Games
Section 3. Regular Season Games
Section 4. Location of Games
Section 5. Holidays
Section 6. All-Star
Section 7. Travel
Section
1. Training Camp.
(a) Veteran Players will not be required to attend training
camp earlier than 11 a.m. (local time) on the twenty-ninth
day prior to the first game of any Regular Season. On
such twenty-ninth day, Veterans may only be required
to attend a Team dinner and Team meetings, participate
in photograph and media sessions, and submit to a physical
examination.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 1(a) above, if a Veteran
Player is under contract to a Team that is scheduled
during a particular NBA Season to participate outside
North America in an Exhibition game or a Regular Season
game during the first ten (10) days of the Regular Season,
such Veteran Player may be required to attend the training
camp conducted in advance of that Regular Season by
11 a.m. (local time) on the thirty-second day prior
to the first game of the Regular Season.
(c) Rookies may be required to attend training camp
on a date earlier than the date(s) specified in Sections
1(a) and 1(b) above, but no earlier than ten (10) days
prior to the date that Veterans on such Team are required
to attend.
(d)
(i) Team training camps may be held at any location,
within or outside the United States and Canada. The
NBA shall oversee the arrangements made with respect
to any training camp held outside the United States
and Canada and the accommodations provided to participating
players.
(ii) The NBA shall be required to notify the Players
Association of its intention to conduct a team training
camp outside the United States and Canada. Within
three (3) business days of its receipt of such notification,
the Players Association shall have the right to disapprove
such plans, provided that such disapproval may be
based solely on a reasonable and well-founded concern
that the location of such training camp would be unsafe
for players.
(iii) No Team shall hold its training camp outside
the United States and Canada in any two successive
Seasons.
(iv) Players on a Team that holds its training camp
outside of the United States and Canada shall have
at least one day off following the travel day during
which they travel back to the United States from such
training camp.
(e)
(i) During the first six days of training camp: (A)
a Team shall be permitted to conduct no more than
two (2) regular practice sessions per day; (B) such
session(s) may last an aggregate of no longer than
3.5 hours (excluding time – not to exceed 30
minutes – spent stretching and participating
in aerobic warm-ups and cool-downs); and (C) if a
Team elects to conduct two (2) regular practice sessions
during a day, one of the two sessions must be limited
to non-contact activities. For the remainder of training
camp, a Team shall be permitted to conduct no more
than one (1) regular practice session per day and
such session may last no longer than 3.5 hours (excluding
time – not to exceed 30 minutes – spent
stretching and participating in aerobic warm-ups and
cool downs).
(ii) If a Team conducts one or two regular practice
sessions during a day in accordance with Section 1(e)(i)
above, then except as provided in clause (A) of Section
1(e)(iii) below, the Team shall not, at a separate
time during the day, conduct, organize or supervise
any additional basketball activity on the basketball
court.
(iii) Nothing in Section 1(e)(i) and (ii) above shall
be construed to prohibit a Team, on any day of training
camp, from conducting one or two regular practice
sessions in accordance with Section 1(e)(i) above,
plus:
(A) on-court skills development sessions (e.g.,
pick-and-roll situations, shooting, passing, etc.)
not involving the playing of live defense (i.e.,
only “dummy” defense may be played)
and not involving the practicing of four-man or
five-man offenses or defenses; and
(B) team-related or training-related activities
(including, but not limited to, weight training,
other conditioning sessions (excluding high-impact
conditioning drills that are normally conducted
during regular practice sessions), video sessions,
meetings, and promotional appearances), so long
as such additional activities do not include any
basketball activity on the basketball court that
is organized, supervised, or conducted by the Team.
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Section 2. Exhibition
Games.
(a) Exhibition games prior to any Regular Season shall
not exceed eight (8) (including intra-squad games for
which admission is charged), and Exhibition games during
any Regular Season shall not exceed three (3).
(b) Exhibition games shall not be played on the three
(3) days prior to the opening of the Team’s Regular
Season schedule, on the day prior to a Regular Season
game, or on the day prior to and the day following the
All-Star Game.
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Section 3. Regular
Season Games.
Each Team agrees that in no event will it play more
than 82 Regular Season games.
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Section 4. Location
of Games.
Exhibition and Regular Season games may be conducted
at any location, within or outside the United States
and Canada. The NBA shall supervise the arrangements
made with respect to games conducted outside the United
States and Canada and the accommodations provided to
participating players.
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Section 5. Holidays.
(a) No Team will be required to play a game on December
25, unless such game is to be telecast or cablecast
nationally.
(b) Games scheduled to be played on January 1 and Good
Friday shall not commence prior to 6 p.m. (local time),
unless the Players Association consents thereto, which
consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Players
Association will, upon request, consent to the earlier
commencement of two (2) games on each of such dates
if such games are to be broadcast or cablecast nationally,
and provided that the Teams involved are in the same
time zone or otherwise in close geographic proximity.
(c) Teams at home on December 25 and January 1 (each,
a “Holiday”) may, but shall not be required
to, conduct a practice on either (or both) of such Holidays,
provided: (i) the Team’s players have requested
that they practice on the Holiday, as communicated to
the Team by the Team’s player representative;
and (ii) within seven (7) days before or after the Holiday,
the Team’s players are provided with a “day
off” — i.e., the Team will not conduct any
practice, including any optional practice, on such date,
and the Team will not have a scheduled game on such
date.
(d) Teams shall not depart for an away game or series
of away games prior to 3 p.m. (local time) on December
25 or January 1, unless reasonable transportation arrangements
for such game or games cannot be made at or after 3
p.m. (local time).
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Section 6. All-Star.
No Team that plays a game on the Thursday prior to the
All-Star Game shall play a game on the Tuesday following
the All-Star Game or conduct a practice session prior
to such Tuesday at 2 p.m. (local time).
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Section 7. Travel.
(a) The NBA and its Teams shall use their best efforts
to devise reasonable travel schedules when Team training
camps, Exhibition games, and Regular Season games are
conducted or played outside the United States and Canada.
(b) No Team shall be required to play a scheduled game
on the same day that such Team has traveled across two
(2) time zones, except in unusual circumstances and
unless the Players Association consents thereto, which
consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
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