Billy Hunter will fight suspension from NBA players' union

Billy Hunter is on his way out as the head of the National Basketball Players Association, but apparently not until he has his final say.

According to the New York Times, Hunter, the long-time executive director of the NBPA, is doing his best to salvage his name, not to mention the salary from his contract.

Amidst several investigations into questionable actions by the NBPA, which included an alarming report commissioned by the union from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, the NBPA placed Hunter on indefinite suspension. Hunter's lawyer, Thomas R. Ashley, expressed frustration with the process in a statement while expecting his client to have the opportunity to refute the findings.

Simply said, he was never given an opportunity to defend himself or refute the allegations made in the report. In addition to making governance reforms consistent with the report, Mr. Hunter has spoken to various teams and Player Representatives thus refuting the ridiculous suggestion that he was unresponsive to his membership.

We believe his contract is valid and we will soon offer a comprehensive rebuttal and explanation with respect to the allegations mentioned in the letter and report.

While Hunter may be able to challenge the allegations to recoup what may be owed him in his contract, his days leading the NBPA are as good as over after losing the trust of the union members. The union report on Hunter's actions explained that Hunter ran things behind the scenes like a "family business" with a laundry list of questionable expenses.