What is an NBA lockout? Understanding Charles Barkley's comments about players forcing it by treating "owners and fans like cr*p"

A lockout is one of the worst things to hear as a fan of professional sports. The event brings plenty of uncertainty and concern to players, owners, and fans. In some cases, sports have had entire seasons canceled due to lockouts. In other cases, lockouts are over and done with like a bump in the road.

To date, there have only been four lockouts in the history of the NBA. In 1995, there was a three-month lockout prior to the 1995-96 season that fortunately didn't have an impact on gameplay. In 1996 there was a lockout that lasted just a couple of hours prior to the 1996-97 season.

The most notorious NBA lockout came during the 1998-99 season, forcing the NBA to shorten the regular season to just 50 games. The 1998-99 lockout was the first and only to result in the All-Star game being canceled that year.

Most recently, we saw an NBA lockout for the 2011-12 season, which was shortened to just 66 games thanks to a five-month-long standoff.

So what is an NBA lockout anyway? Why did Charles Barkley accuse players of treating "owners and fans like crap" at All-Star weekend? Let's take a look.

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Breaking down an NBA Lockout, and how a lockout happens

Currently, there's a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in place. The CBA is defined by the NBA Players Association as:

"The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBPA and the NBA sets out the terms and conditions of employment for all professional basketball players playing in the National Basketball Association, as well as the respective rights and obligations of the NBA Clubs, the NBA, and the NBPA."

This includes agreements on contracts, trades, revenue distribution, the NBA draft, and the salary cap.

Golden State Warriors v Dallas Mavericks - Game Four

The current CBA went into effect in July 2017 and runs through the 2023-24 NBA season. Prior to its expiration, the NBA, team owners, and the NBA Players Association will agree to terms for a new CBA - hopefully.

If the two sides don't come to an agreement in time, the CBA will expire as the two sides remain at an impasse. Owners and front office members will no longer be able to contact players from their respective teams during that time, and the season will likely be put on hold.

Ideally, if a new CBA isn't agreed upon prior to the expiration of the one currently in place, agreements will be reached shortly after, like the 1996-97 NBA lockout. If a new CBA isn't ratified, however, then the upcoming season could be in jeopardy.

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What did Charles Barkley say about the CBA expiring?

The way Charles Barkley sees things, the era of player empowerment is creating room for another NBA lockout. He spoke to media members at the All-Star weekend before the Rising Stars Challenge, saying:

“You can’t take my money and then say you want to divorce me in six months to a year. You can’t take all my money and then say ‘hey I want a divorce,’ so I’m pretty sure that’s the next thing to come out of the CBA. I don’t think there’s no doubt in my mind that these guys are going to get locked out.”

When the CBA expires, only time will tell whether or not we end up having another lockout on our hands. With this season shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory, it will be interesting to see how the negotiations are handled going forward.