Labor unions representing professional basketball players and referees paid approximately $4.7 million in legal fees to upwards of a dozen law firms, based on regulatory filings for the most recent fiscal year. The lion’s share of billings for the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) last year were claimed by Winston & Strawn and Willkie Farr & Gallagher, with the former billing almost $1.7 million, and the latter exceeding $1 million. The NBPA also paid $779,000 to Groom Law Group and $299,000 to Dechert as per filings.
The NBPA had the majority of the invoices, racking up almost $4.1 million in legal fees, nearly three times the $1.4 million paid for external counsel relative to the preceding year. This spike in legal expenditures likely stems from the finalized collective bargaining agreement last year. The National Basketball Referees Association also secured a new labor deal of its own in 2022.
Tamika Tremaglio, who served as the executive director of the NBPA, received close to $3.3 million in total compensation last year. She was succeeded by Andre Iguodala, ex-NBA player and venture capital mogul, who assumed the role of acting executive director following Tremaglio’s departure in November. Other firms profiting from the NBPA include Blitman & King, Fox Rothschild, Davis + Gilbert, among others.
The labor union representing referees allocated $552,600 to White Plains, NY-based Seham, Seham, Meltz & Peterson, an increase from $454,100 the preceding year. Also of note, a union serving the interests of players in the Women’s National Basketball Association reported expenditures of almost $135,600 during 2022-23 to its director of operations for business and legal affairs, Michael Goldsholl. It joined the AFL-CIO last year.