The NBA and its players union announced a tentative agreement early Saturday to end their five-month lockout and start the season on Christmas Day.
A majority of the 29 owners and 450 players still need to vote for the agreement for it to take effect. At a news conference early Saturday, NBA commissioner David Stern said the agreement was "subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations but we are optimistic that will all come to pass."
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Stern, Players Association executive director Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher said they would leave it to their lawyers to work out the terms of the deal.