Several of the players competing in Russia are leaving the country as a precautionary measure because of the invasion of Ukraine, according to multiple agents.
The majority of the players in the league compete in the winter in Russia. Some players are late in the year. May 6 is when the NBA season begins.
For safety reasons, agents asked that their clients in Russia not be identified.
When he was working for the United States government during the Gulf War in the early 1990s, longtime agent Mike Cound had experience with needing to be evacuated from overseas. The document was put together for his clients and 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611
It is way past "considering" leaving, according to Cound, who has been on the phone with two players in the past few minutes. It is urgent that there is a dwindling number of flights leaving Russia because they are going to be hard to get real soon. If things get worse, they may not be fine. My idea is to get them out if we can, and then to get them to hunker down and stay safe.
Some players may be moving to Europe to play for other teams.
Other agents said on Sunday that they are working on plans to help clients leave Russia. One agent said her clients would wait until Monday to make a decision, but she expects them to leave. The players are not in immediate danger, but if the situation gets worse, they might not be able to leave.
The union and the league said they were in constant communication with players and agents about the situation.
The league has been in contact with players who are in Russia, either directly or through their agents. We will keep a close eye on the situation.
When asked if the league was telling players to leave Russia, the spokesman said the league didn't want to expand on its statement.
The union has been watching the situation.
The union said in a statement on Thursday that they have been in constant communication with their members and their representatives for several weeks.
We shared information and advisories from credible news sources and urged them to make a plan that included connecting with embassies/consulates and the U.S. State Department.
An increasing number of airlines are canceling flights into and out of Russia, and many countries have closed their airspace to Russian airlines, according to a security alert sent out by the United States embassy in Moscow. U.S. citizens should consider leaving Russia immediately.
The embassy's limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia was one of the reasons the state department warned Americans against traveling to Russia.
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