NBPA

Billy Hunter Says Relationship With Derek Fisher Suffered "Severe Injury"

Published April 25, 2012

An internal power struggle between Thunder G and NBPA President Derek Fisher and union Exec Dir Billy Hunter has "thrown the association into chaos," according to Howard Beck of the N.Y. TIMES. There is a "vast rift" between the two that is "consuming the union’s attention just as the NBA is wrapping up a surprisingly successful regular season after the 149-day lockout." Hunter, in his first comments since reports of union infighting surfaced last week, said, "I think the relationship has suffered seriously, suffered a severe injury. And the question is whether or not we’ve suffered irreparable damage. And it may very well be that that’s the case." Hunter added, "I’m sure he doesn’t trust me. I don’t want to be in a situation where I got to look over my back every five minutes.” Hunter during the interview Monday was "by turns relaxed, defiant, feisty and defensive." He alternately "welcomed the audit" of the union's business practices that Fisher has demanded and "dismissed the need for it." He also "denied any role in the board’s vote of no-confidence in Fisher ('I had nothing to do with that')." Hunter also "defended himself against charges of nepotism stemming from the union’s employment of his daughter and daughter-in-law, and of two outside firms that employ his son and another daughter." Hunter said that each hiring was "vetted and approved by the executive committee." Hunter: "Let me say this to you: My children are highly credentialed. In many instances, they’re being paid at or below the market." Beck notes Fisher "never raised the nepotism charge publicly and has generally remained mum on his motives for the audit." However, Wizards G and NBPA VP Maurice Evans last week "referred to nepotism and 'misappropriation of funds' as issues that the committee had addressed with Hunter in response to Fisher’s concerns." Regarding the audit, Hunter said that the union "already submitted to annual financial audits and conducted a more thorough audit of its operations after each of the previous two labor deals," in '99 and in '05. He said, “Every audit’s been clean." But the business review that Fisher is seeking "would be more exhaustive, covering not only finances but staffing, procedures, the hiring of third-party vendors and even the union’s bylaws" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/25).

GETTING THE WORD OUT: ESPN L.A.'s Chris Broussard reported the NBPA Exec Committee last night sent a memo to its player reps that presented Fisher "as a rogue leader who has been delinquent in his duties since the end of the lockout." In addition to saying that Fisher has "failed to participate in executive committee conference calls, failed to make appearances on the union's behalf, and chosen not to cooperate with executive director Billy Hunter since January, the memo presents a timeline of recent events to support its decision last week to ask for Fisher's resignation" (ESPNLA.com, 4/24).

A LITTLE MORE ON NEPOTISM: BLOOMBERG NEWS' Levinson & Kuriloff cite records as indicating that the NBPA paid almost $4.8M to Hunter's family members "and their professional firms since 2001." Rochester Institute of Technology business ethics professor Robert Barbato said that while Hunter "isn't breaking any law or violating association rules, having so many relatives making money from the union is enough for an independent examination." Levinson & Kuriloff note Hunter's son, Todd, is one of "three partners at Prim Capital Corp., a Cleveland-based firm that runs the union’s financial awareness program and advises the organization on its investments." Public filings indicate that the NBPA has paid Prim "almost $3 million since 2005." Prim Dir Carolyn Kaufman said that the company "has been working for the union since at least 1999," and Todd Hunter joined in '02. Kaufman added that Todd Hunter "didn’t work on union matters until 2008." Levinson & Kuriloff note Billy Hunter's daughter, Alexis, has "worked for two law firms that were hired by the union since he took over." Another daughter, Robyn, serves as the NBPA’s Benefits Dir, and public documents from last year indicate that she was "on the organization’s payroll with an annual salary of $82,954." Todd Hunter’s wife, Megan Inaba, currently NBPA Dir of Special Events, has been "on the payroll since 2001 -- before she and Todd Hunter were married -- and has made almost $1.2 million" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 4/25).