Refs ratify, will be ready for season
NEW YORK - The real referees will work the real games.
The NBA and its referees union agreed on a two-year contract last night, ending a lockout of more than a month and saving the league from using replacements when the regular season starts Tuesday.
The officials ratified the deal that was reached this week. No details of the vote were provided, nor were terms of the agreement.
The referees will begin a three-day training camp today. The league had been using replacement officials during exhibition play.
The contract between the league and the National Basketball Referees Association expired Sept. 1, and the league announced its was locking out the officials Sept. 18, saying they had rejected its final contract offer.
The NBA decided to go with replacements late last month after the referees rejected a deal the league said its negotiators had already agreed to.
The referees’ contracts have usually been for five years, but the NBA consented to a two-year deal at the request of the union, which hoped it could renegotiate sooner with the economy hopefully in better shape.
