US Government Query NBPA’s Business Practices

April 30, 2012

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has revealed it is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan.

According to Bloomberg News union executive director Billy Hunter was alerted by subpoena Wednesday of the investigation into their business practices.

“The NBPA will cooperate fully with the government’s investigation,” the union said in a statement.

Carly Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, said: “We have no comment. We don’t confirm or deny investigations.”

Just last week, the union’s executive committee voted 8-0 to oust union president Derek Fisher, who demanded a review of business practices even though an audit was conducted in February.

Fisher wasn’t specific about his issues with Hunter, who has several family members on the union’s payroll and working for companies for which the union outsources contract work. He has said he wants an independent review and “a firm of the players’ choosing may conduct the review.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard had this to say exactly a week ago after a shootaround:

“Anyone or any group who questions my intentions in any decisions I’ve ever made that I felt were best for our players I think needs to step back for a moment and ask themselves this: Why would I try and ask certain questions and call into review the association that I’m the president of unless I thought there were some serious questions that needed to be answered, things that I, as president, aren’t satisfied with?”