Chaun Hollins…
“I get the whole free agency thing but Im a little old school and now that I look at it, a lot of these kids are coming into the league and they don’t know how to spend their money, they don’t know the ins and outs of being a professional athlete and a role model as well. So I just think for the most part the kids need to get a minimum salary where they can learn to invest and spend their money, how to answer questions, how to give back to their community and I think some of these kids are getting into the league and they don’t have a clue. For the most part, I think free agency is a good thing, but you need a support group to help you manage it.”
Aajua…
“Free agency is a good thing it gives athletes a sense of power and choice in their careers. Previously, athletes were stuck but this allows them to be a part of the decision making process once they have proven their skill sets on the court. They’re able to demand a fair wage for their skills as well as deciding where they want to play.”
Darryl Williams…
“My response would be its bringing the league parody, I think it is doing a lot of good. A lot of people don’t like the headlines, but if you notice teams that used to be stuck, like New York and New Jersey, are now acquiring people that are going to make a difference, so I think it’s balancing the league.”
Dr. Ray Hampton…
“I think free agency in the NBA is a great idea simply because in my opinion it gives professional athletes that have been playing on current teams and taken those teams to a whole other level. Some teams that may not have made it to the playoffs are now in the playoffs which we just seen with Toronto, we just witnessed that with Kawhi Leonard. Some think he should have stayed with the team, but he should be able to market himself and give other teams the same opportunity. A player should be able to pick a team they want to play for without everybody thinking “super teams”.
Leon Howard…
“I definitely think free agency in the NBA is a good idea when you consider most NBA players come from within our community and it gives them the freedom to negotiate how much they get paid and where they want to play instead settling for a sad city like Seattle you can go to LA or you could sign for Seattle if they had a team. I just feel like you can give a lot of brothers from our communities a lot of say so in those meeting rooms and board rooms and in an environment where we didn’t have an upper hand several years ago when free agency didn’t exist on that end I think free agency is a good idea.”
Action
“I think it makes it better because if you give them an opportunity to get an education, school and play basketball they get that option you’ve got to give them that choice make whatever they want. You can’t get mad, the collective bargaining lets them have that right. So, I can’t be mad at that person having that right because the owners got to share the pie because they’re making all that money so that’s what happens, people get money, you cant’ be mad or upset that’s just the industry, that’s how life is.”
Photos/Aaron Allen
