NEW YORK — Locked-out NBA players filed class-action antitrust lawsuits against the league Tuesday in at least two states, saying David Stern’s ultimatums left them no other choice.
Attorney David Boies said the NBA lockout violates antitrust laws by refusing to allow players to work. Boies added that Stern’s ultimatum to the now-disbanded union to accept the owners’ last economic model or face a harsher proposal “turned out to be a mistake” that strengthens the players’ case because it proves the collective bargaining process had ended.
“If you’re in a poker game and you run a bluff, and the bluff works, you’re a hero. If someone calls your bluff, you lose. I think the owners overplayed their hand,” Boies said.
The players are seeking “treble damages” — meaning triple the amount of the more than $2 billion they would have made under a full 2011-12 season — for what they argue is irreparable harm by preventing them from playing in their “very short” NBA careers.
The NBA notified teams Tuesday it has canceled games through Dec. 15, erasing a total of 324 games.
Denver Post wire services
