In a strategic move that flies in the face of David Stern’s NBA global domination, the NBA players union recently released a memo in support of players going overseas to play while the NBA locks out its players.

Will the NBA Lockout break the NBA’s grasp on the best players?

Billy Hunter knows that if more players were to sign contracts overseas, the less power the NBA has on its own players and the more leverage the the players union has.

In a memo sent to players on Tuesday night, the union leader said the NBA Players’ Association supports all players “who are taking steps to continue to earn a living, stay in peak competitive shape, and play the game that we love while the unfortunate league-imposed lockout is in place.”

“This lockout is intended to economically pressure our players to agree to an unfavorable collective bargaining agreement,” Hunter wrote. “It is important for the owners to understand that there may be significant consequences to their decision to put their own players in these difficult economic circumstances.

NBA stars Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and Amare Stoudemire have shown interest (in varying degrees, to the possibility of playing overseas if the NBA lockout continues. While Sonny Weems, a supporting player, has already signed with Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania“If the owners will not give our players a forum in which to play basketball here in the United States, they risk losing the greatest players in the world to the international basketball federations that are more than willing to employ them.”

FIBA, the governing body of international basketball, has said it is working on a statement that will clarify any legal situations that could arise from NBA players signing with international teams.

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