Billy Hunter

The National Basketball Players Association placed executive director Billy Hunter on indefinite leave last week, the first step in removing his from his position. However, speaking to Howard Beck of the New York Times, Hunter insists that he feels he's being unfairly targeted, and won't go down without a fight.

"I intend to exercise all my options, as of this moment," Hunter said.

Hunter's contract, which pays him another $10.5MM through 2016, was never formally approved by player representatives, but Hunter and lawyer Thomas Ashley believe the union chief is still entitled to his remaining salary. According to Ashley, the contract is binding under Delaware law, where the union is incorporated. Additionally, Hunter and Ashley contend that the union bylaw which requires player reps to approve an executive director's contract applies to a new hire, rather than subsequent contract renewals.

An audit of the union by the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison concluded that Hunter had acted in his own best interests at times, an allegation Hunter strongly denied. Ashley referred to the report, which relied heavily on anonymous witnesses as "clearly unfair" and Hunter contends that the allegations are made up of a lot of "little things" that don't amount to much.

"It’s almost like you put enough together, and you throw it up against the wall, hopefully something will stick," Hunter said. "But when you look at them each individually, we can rebut them."

The decision to retain or dismiss Hunter is expected to be made by the 30 player reps at the union's meeting during All-Star weekend, where Hunter is hoping to address the membership. According to Beck, at least 11 player reps are believed to be in favor of firing the union chief. However, despite not being able to reach out to players to make his case during his forced leave, Hunter is confident that he has the support of a number of players, and believes there are more that are eager to hear him out.

4:02pm: Hunter's attorney, Thomas Ashley, has issued a statement on behalf of his client, as Ken Berger passes along (in a handful of Twitter links). Ashley called the interim committee's authority "highly questionable," writing that the decision to place Hunter on indefinite leave "is not supported in either the constitution or bylaws of the NBPA."

2:00pm: Hunter is expected to challenge the authority of the five-man interim executive committee that placed him on indefinite leave, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. However, Berger suggests that the move adhered to the NBPA's constitution and bylaws (all Twitter links).

12:48pm: Jared Dudley, the Suns' alternate player representative, tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that he believes Hunter's "shady" actions mean it's time for the players to take action.

"I think it's time for a vote," Dudley said. "I think before there was never a chance. I think because of what's going on, it's time now. It's like when we had to decide do we take the deal during the lockout or not take it? We voted on that and we had options…. I think now it's come to the point where guys, after taking a look at this information, should have an opportunity to vote: in or out."

10:34am: Derek Fisher sent a memo to NBA players on Friday morning announcing the decision, according to Wojnarowski.

"Unfortunately, it appears that Union management has lost sight of the NBPA’s only task, to serve the best interests of their membership," Fisher wrote. "This is the reason I called for a review almost a year ago. The findings of that review confirm this unfortunate truth and we must now move forward as Players. Immediate change is necessary and I, along with the Committee Members, are committed to driving the process as difficult as it may be."

Fisher will head an interim executive committee and advisory committee that will meet during All-Star weekend to work on reorganizing the union.

10:08am: The NBPA has placed union chief Billy Hunter on an indefinite leave of absence, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the move represents the first step in the process to have Hunter removed from the position on a permanent basis. NBPA counsel Ron Klempner has been named the union's interim executive director, tweets Wojnarowski.

An independent audit of the NBPA conducted by a law firm recently released its findings, concluding that while Hunter had not engaged in any criminal acts, he had acted in his own best interests, and the player's union ought to consider whether he should stay in the role. Shortly thereafter, prominent agent Arn Tellem penned a letter urging his clients to oust Hunter from his position.

For his part, Hunter has seemingly been putting on a full-court press to keep his job lately, firing his daughter and daughter-in-law, who had roles in the organization. He also announced new anti-nepotism and conflict of interest policies for the NBPA. However, as Zach Lowe of Grantland notes (on Twitter), it seems as if Hunter's reforms are too "transparently timed" and may be too little, too late.

The players' association is scheduled to conduct its next series of meetings during this month's All-Star weekend.

WEDNESDAY, 11:52am: Hunter and the NBPA have announced several internal changes, including new anti-nepotism and conflict of interest policies, according to a press release.

"In my work for the NBPA, my priority has always been to promote the interests of the players," Hunter said. "Through the benefit of hindsight, as with any executive, there are always things that could have been done better."

TUESDAY, 1:22pm: The annual players' meeting is set to take place next month at All-Star weekend in Houston, and the future of union chief Billy Hunter is expected to be a major topic of discussion. According to Howard Beck of the New York Times, agent Arn Tellem is urging his clients and the rest of the league's players to oust Hunter, who Tellem says has violated the players' trust.

"NBA players deserve better representation from the union they fund," Tellem wrote in a letter to his clients. "I implore you and your fellow players to take control of your union and your future. It’s time for Mr. Hunter to go."

A law firm conducting an audit of the NBPA released its findings earlier this month, concluding that while Hunter wasn't guilty of any criminal acts, he put his own interests ahead of the union's, and the NBPA ought to consider whether he should be dismissed.

It's not clear exactly what the process of removing Hunter would involve, but for his part, Hunter seems determined to keep the job. After the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison report was critical of Hunter's nepotism, the union chief fired family members, including his daughter and daughter-in-law, who had been part of the organization, according to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg Sports.

"Hopefully this decision will alleviate any concerns raised by their employment," Hunter wrote in a letter to a special committe of NBA players. "These measures are being taken although the report noted that both of them were highly qualified, not overpaid, and were contributing members of the NBPA staff."