Lockout: NBA season put off till Dec 15

The National Basketball Association has notified teams that regular season games through to December 15 have been cancelled because of the labour dispute that has locked out players for nearly five months, a league spokesman said on Tuesday.

The NBA had already scrapped the first month of a regular season that was originally scheduled to begin November 1 and the latest move came a day after players rejected a contract offer that included plans for a shortened season.

Only the first month of the regular season has offically been scrapped but NBA Comissioner David Stern said last week that the 2011-12 campaign would start in mid-December if a deal with players was reached.

The latest collective barganing agreement, that players turned down on Monday, called for a 50-50 split of basketball related income between the owners and players and would have provided for a 72-game season to start on December 15.

The National Basketball Players Association also said it would no longer continue in collective bargaining and would dissolve the union to become a trade association in order to pursue legal action against the NBA.

A shift from the negotiating table to the courts sets the stage for a potentially lengthy battle with the entire NBA season hanging in the balance.

The NBA, which claims it lost $300 million last season with 22 of its 30 teams in the red, locked out players on July 1.

Players, who received 57 percent of basketball income in the previous contract, also are at odds with the owners over rules governing contracts and free agency.

US pro basketball players sue NBA

US professional basketball players filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the National Basketball Association on Tuesday for antitrust violations, according to a copy of the lawsuit.

The players' association this week said it would no longer continue in collective bargaining and will become a trade association in order to pursue legal action against the NBA, with the entire 2011-12 season hanging in the balance.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Northern California on Tuesday, was brought on behalf of players who are seeking to represent a class of NBA players.

The named plaintiffs are Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Leon Powe.