Union unanimously gives Derek Fisher a vote of no confidence

The lockout has been over for nearly five months, but within the NBA’s Players Association, a power struggle continues.

On Thursday, Yahoo! Sports reported that the rift that developed between union president Derek Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter was ongoing, with Hunter calling for Fisher’s resignation. Fisher, refusing to give up his post, convinced the executive committee to vote for an independent auditor to look into Hunter’s time as executive director. Hunter responded with a memo to players stating that the audit had been canceled because it was irrelevant.

Now, though, the NBPA has released a statement claiming that on Wednesday, the eight-member executive committee had delivered a unanimous vote of no confidence in Fisher’s leadership.

Fisher told them he has no plans to step down.

"I along with many others are extremely disappointed with the Executive Committee," Fisher said Friday in a statement. "Their demand for my resignation and their need to protect the NBPA management and their own best interests instead of protecting the players we were elected to serve is unfortunate.

“I have tried to convey the legal and moral obligations we have as union officers. Sadly, the executive committee has now waged a personal character attack on me to divert attention from the real issue. The truth.”

A rift between Fisher and union executive director Billy Hunter seemed to develop during the lockout, Fisher often speaking to the media alone while Hunter left quickly after negotiating sessions.

“The Executive Committee based its decision on numerous instances over the past six months where Fisher engaged in conduct detrimental to the union, including acting in contravention of the players’ best interests during collective bargaining, declining to follow the NBPA Constitution, and failing to uphold the duties of the Union President,” the statement read. “To avoid further damage to the NBPA and its 450 members, the Executive Board again calls for Derek’s resignation.”

Fisher fired back with his own response late Friday. Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski wrote that Fisher said, in a statement: "So the next step is simple. All players have a voice. Any and all players may request an independent review of the business practices and finances and a player representative vote can be taken at a time when all 30 player representatives can be present. A firm of the players choosing may conduct the review.

“The allegations that are now being directed at me are defamatory. But I urge our members to order an independent review beginning immediately and that will be proven along with finding out definitively if there are any issues with the NBPA's business practices and finances.”

During the lockout, several instances of schisms within the union surfaced. Fisher and Hunter were often at odds over the player-owner split of basketball-related income, with Fisher willing to negotiate to a deal that started at a 50-50 split and Hunter (under pressure from the league’s agents) unwilling to drop below 52 percent for players and 48 percent for owners. When the split between Fisher and Hunter became known, a report that Fisher was acting in conjunction with the league in hopes of landing a job with the league after his playing days were over, it was clear that the relationship between the two was not salvageable.

The statement also addressed Fisher’s call for an audit. “The NBPA performs annual financial audits and shares the results of those audits with the Executive Committee and Player Representatives at its annual meetings,” the statement said. “The NBPA completed a financial audit in February and will share the results of the audit with the Executive Committee and Player Representatives at the union’s summer meeting. Additionally, the NBPA conducted two business reviews following the negotiation of the 1999 and 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreements, and with the support of the entire Executive Committee, the union will conduct another business review in a timely manner. We hope for a swift and complete resolution to these issues.”

Now, with the resolution of the NBA’s lockout well in the rearview mirror, Fisher and Hunter are still at odds and, given the executive committee’s vote, it’s clear that Hunter has the upper hand. Even if he is successful in ousting Fisher, Hunter might not be out of the woods. His contract runs up in four years, and as one NBA agent said on Friday, “It would be the right thing for Derek to go. But it is also time for Billy to go. It is hard for players, at this point, to have much confidence in either one of them.”