# NBA Free agent collusion? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 2, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-free-agent-collusion/541663 "2010-06-02T16:46:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-free-agent-collusion/541663/1 "2010-06-02T16:46:17Z")
In an AP article I read earlier today, LeBron James talks about how he and many of the other top NBA Free Agents are going to sit down and discuss their future plans. How does this not appear to be collusion, and thus illegal? > [@](#): > > He also plans to meet with Dwyane Wade(notes), Chris Bosh(notes) and others in a star-studded summit of free agents to talk about their future plans. > > “I am the ringleader,” James told King. > **[NBA News, Expert Analysis, Rumors, Live Updates, & more - Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news/?slug=ap-lebron-larrykinginterview)** > > Sports News, Scores, Fantasy Games ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-free-agent-collusion/541663/2 "2010-06-02T16:55:38Z")
Why would it be illegal for them to collude? Unless I’m greatly mistaken, it wouldn’t even be against league rules – again, why would it be? There’s also been [a suggestion](http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5239414) that the “summit” talk is overblown. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-free-agent-collusion/541663/3 "2010-06-02T16:56:20Z")
> [@Lips\_Obsession](#): > > How does this not appear to be collusion, and thus illegal? Well, let’s start with a definition of collusion. I’m borrowing this from Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > Collusion is an agreement, usually illegal and therefore secretive, which occurs between two or more persons to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair advantage. It is an agreement among firms to divide the market, set prices, or limit production. It can involve “wage fixing, kickbacks, or misrepresenting the independence of the relationship between the colluding parties.” In legal terms, all acts affected by collusion are considered void. All these players are doing - supposedly; I think the extend of their talks is being overhyped - is discussing what teams they may sign with. I have not seen any of them say or indicate that they plan to misrepresent anything, defraud any team, give any kickbacks, or divide the market. They can’t fix wages since the NBA has limits on contracts and there’s no market to divide. There might be additional league rules that prevent teams from colluding but I don’t think they would apply to any free agents. Players lobby each other about coming to one team or another all the time. There’s no rule against that and I doubt there would be one just because both players are free agents. The bottom line is this: most of these guys, and maybe all of them, are going to demand max contracts. That means it’s highly unlikely that more than two of them will wind up on the same team even with sign and trade deals. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-free-agent-collusion/541663/4 "2010-06-02T16:56:23Z")
How is this different from the thousands of times union members get together to discuss their future plans, including strikes, boycotts, requests for pay raises, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-free-agent-collusion/541663/5 "2010-06-03T00:20:31Z")
> [@Lips\_Obsession](#): > > How does this not appear to be collusion, and thus illegal? Only teams can be guilty of “collusion”; it doesn’t apply to players. In much the same way that, say, public schools aren’t allowed to ask students to pray but individuals are totally free to ask their own children to pray. As a general rule individuals are free to do whatever the fuck they want, while organizations are held to (much) higher standards of conduct in order to protect the rights of individuals. Or another angle: The league and teams have anti-trust exemptions and thus are bound by the terms of that agreement, one of which is no collusion. Players have no such exemption and thus are not bound by such terms. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-free-agent-collusion/541663/6 "2010-06-06T03:19:12Z")
It ain’t going to happen [http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-nbafinals-stern](http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-nbafinals-stern)