As of last Tuesday, it looked like something extraordinary would have to happen in order to save the NBA season.
“Micheal Jordan I challenge you I’ll spot you 20 and a bag of cheetos If I win end lockout Keep the cheetos,” tweeted Metta World Peace, the Lakers star formerly known as Ron Artest.
Then came word on Twitter Saturday that the NBA Players Association and team owners had reached a handshake agreement to end the lockout, reportedly agreeing on “an even split of the league’s $4 billion in annual revenue,” according to the New York Times. If all goes to plan, the NBA season will start on Dec. 25—“The Christmas Miracle”—and include a 66-game season.
Players responded immediately to the news on Twitter, no surprise given that the microblogging platform was the de-facto medium to share updates and frustrations about the near-five-month-long lockout—from NBA Players Association President Derek Fisher’s call to #standunited to Kevin Durant’s surprise flag football appearance.
“Just wanna say Thank You to the fans for your patience and understanding thru all this!” wrote the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony. “Glad to give you the game of basketball back.”
Fans have also been celebrating the good news, heating up Twitter with their #FavoriteNBAMoments. That hashtag was a trending topic yesterday and has since been mentioned more than 26,000 times.
The only downside: The Google+ Homecoming Tour, reported here last week, has been cancelled, save for a charitable community event in New York on Nov. 29. Considering that only about 2,000 people added the event to their circles, however, not many will likely notice.
Here’s a look at how NBA stars, team owners, and overseas players responded to the news.
Photo by Bob B. Brown
