Israel Basketball Association cancels women’s season in reaction to strike
Female basketball players on teams in the Israel Basketball Association will not grace the court this season. The professional women’s basketball league canceled the season after the local player’s union called a strike due to a dispute about the number of foreigners allowed per team.
“The players’ union is illegal,†IBA chairman Shay Shani said to the Jerusalem Post. “The league will not take place this season.â€
Local players want at least two Israeli players to be on the court during games at all times. This request is similar to the rules in the Russian League for foreign participation on teams. The IBA previously had a similar policy but reversed it this year. Local players sat out the first game of the season and the strike is the first in the league’s 54-year history.
Several WNBA players play on Israeli teams.
Around the Web
- Hoopsters’ union refuses to surrender before end of Basketball Association’s ultimatum (Haaretz)
- IBA cancels entire women’s season in response to strike (Jerusalem Post)
2 Comments
Nothing like Unions to have a positive impact on sports. Good for the IBA standing up to them. The best players need to play. If they want more Israeli women in the game then maybe they need to get more GAME.
This rule fascinates me. Imagine if the WNBA had rules about how many American players had to be on the floor at a time. Would that even be legal here?
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