For reference, below are the articles of the NBA's constitution that directly pertain to membership, transfer of membership, and termination of membership for owners in the league. This from the latest approved and agreed-to constitution, dated May 29, 2012.
ARTICLE 4
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
(a) Each applicant for Membership shall make a written application to the Commissioner specifying the city that the applicant wishes to represent in the Association. Upon receipt of such application, the Commissioner shall have the right to require from the applicant and each Prospective Owner, and the applicant and each Prospective Owner shall furnish to the Commissioner, such information as the Commissioner shall request about the application, the applicant and each Prospective Owner, any persons or Entities with which the applicant or any Prospective Owner is associated or affiliated, and such other matters, whether or not confidential, as the Commissioner shall deem relevant in his sole discretion. The applicant and each Prospective Owner shall also execute, deliver, and perform and shall cause such other parties (including their respective controlled subsidiaries and affiliates) as the Commissioner shall direct to execute, deliver, and perform such documents in such forms as the Commissioner shall prescribe.
(b) The Association shall have no obligation to consider any application that is submitted under this Article or to solicit applications from more than one applicant for any potential new Membership.
(c) All applications shall contain a binding agreement of the applicant and each Prospective Owner providing that if the application is approved by the Association, the applicant and each Prospective Owner shall be bound by the Constitution and By-Laws, rules, regulations, resolutions, and agreements of the Association, and any modifications or amendments thereof.
(d) Upon receipt of any application for Membership in the Association that the Association wishes to consider, the Commissioner shall conduct such investigation thereof as the Commissioner deems appropriate. Following the completion of such investigation, the Commissioner shall submit the application to the Members for approval, together with such information as the Commissioner deems pertinent. Each Prospective Owner must be approved by the affirmative vote of not less than three-fourths (3/4) of all Governors at a meeting duly called for such purpose.
(e) Each application for Membership shall be accompanied by a certified check in the amount of $1,000,000 (the "Application Fee"). If the application for admission is accepted, the Application Fee shall be used to pay the fees, costs, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Association in considering the application and all related matters, and any remaining balance shall be applied as a credit against the Membership fee to be paid by the applicant. If the application for admission is denied, the Application Fee shall be used to pay the fees, costs, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Association in considering the application and all related matters, and any remaining balance shall be repaid to the applicant. There shall be no obligation to pay interest on any Application Fee submitted to and held by the Association.
ARTICLE 5
TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP
No Membership, nor any direct, indirect, contingent, or convertible interest therein (regardless of the size of the interest), may be sold, pledged, hypothecated, assigned, or otherwise transferred or encumbered (each a "transfer") in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, except in accordance with and subject to the following provisions of this Article 5:
(a) An application requesting approval of a transfer must be made in writing to the Commissioner by the applicable Member (on behalf of the transferring Owner) promptly after an agreement with respect to such transfer has been reached. The Commissioner may waive this requirement and accept an application directly from a Prospective Owner that has a security interest previously approved by the Association in the interest proposed to be transferred or when, in the Commissioner’s sole judgment, the best interests of the Association would be served.
(b) Upon receipt of such application, the Commissioner shall have the right to require from the transferring Owner, and the transferring Owner shall furnish or cause the proposed transferee to furnish to the Commissioner, such information as the Commissioner shall request about the transfer, the proposed transferee and each Prospective Owner, any persons or Entities with which the transferee or any Prospective Owner is associated or affiliated, and such other matters, whether or not confidential, as the Commissioner shall deem relevant in his sole discretion. The transferring Owner and its proposed transferee and each of its Prospective Owners shall also execute, deliver, and perform, and shall cause such other parties (including their respective controlled subsidiaries and affiliates) as the Commissioner shall direct to execute, deliver, and perform, such documents in such forms as the Commissioner shall prescribe. It shall be the obligation of the transferring Owner to ensure that the Commissioner timely receives all information that the Commissioner may request under this Article 5.
(c) Any agreement to transfer an interest in a Member or Membership, and any application requesting approval of such transfer, shall include a binding agreement of the proposed transferee and each of its Prospective Owners stating that if the transfer is approved by the Association, the proposed transferee and each of its Prospective Owners (and each of their respective controlled subsidiaries and affiliates) shall be bound by the Constitution and By-Laws, rules, regulations, resolutions, and agreements of the Association, and any modifications or amendments thereof.
(d) An application requesting approval of a transfer of an interest in a Member or Membership equal to or larger than ten percent (10%), or such smaller interest as may result in a change of control over such Member or Membership, shall be accompanied by a certified check from the transferring Owner to the order of the Association in the sum of $50,000 to defray all expenses (including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Association in investigating, reviewing, and processing the application. Following the disposition of any application, the Association shall repay to the applicant the sum of $50,000, less all expenses incurred in connection with the application. If these expenses exceed $50,000, the additional expenses shall be assessed against the Member and promptly paid to the Association.
(e) With respect to an application requesting approval of a transfer of an interest in a Member or Membership of less than ten percent (10%) (other than a transfer that would result in a change of control over such Member or Membership), all expenses incurred by the Association in investigating, reviewing, and processing the application (including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees) shall be assessed against the Member and promptly paid to the Association.
(f) Upon receipt of an application requesting approval of a transfer, the Commissioner shall conduct such investigation as the Commissioner deems appropriate. Upon the completion of the investigation, the Commissioner shall submit the proposed transfer to the Members for approval, together with all information in respect thereto that the Commissioner deems pertinent. A transfer shall only become effective if approved by the affirmative vote of not less than three-fourths (3/4) of all Governors at a meeting duly called for such purpose.
(g) The Commissioner shall appoint a committee to assist him in matters relating to proposed transfers of Membership interests (for purposes of this Article 5, the "Committee").
(h) Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 5(f):
(i) If a proposed transfer involves (x) a larger than five percent (5%) but smaller than ten percent (10%) interest in a Member or Membership (including an interest subject to Article 5(h)(iii)), or (y) the transfer of a Membership or an interest in a Member or Membership to a different Entity owned by substantially the same Owners in substantially the same proportions (provided that the aggregate direct and indirect changes in ownership, if any, do not equal or exceed ten percent (10%)), the Committee shall have the power, in its sole discretion, to approve such proposed transfer without submitting it to the Members for approval under Article 5(f) above, unless (A) the transfer would result in any person or Entity (or group of persons or Entities acting in concert) that has not been approved by the Members directly or indirectly owning an interest of ten percent (10%) or larger in a Member or Membership, or (B) the effect of such proposed transfer is or may be to change the ownership of effective control of such Member or Membership.
(ii) If a proposed transfer involves (x) a five percent (5%) or smaller interest in a Member or Membership, or (y) the transfer of a Membership or an interest in a Member or Membership to a different Entity owned by substantially the same Owners in substantially the same proportions (provided that the aggregate direct and indirect changes in ownership, if any, do not exceed five percent (5%)), the Commissioner shall have the power, in his sole discretion, to approve such proposed transfer without submitting it to the Members for approval under Article 5(f) above, unless (A) the transfer would result in any person or Entity (or group of persons or Entities acting in concert) that has not been approved by the Committee or the Members directly or indirectly owning an interest of larger than five percent (5%) but smaller than ten percent (10%) in a Member or Membership, (B) the transfer would result in any person or Entity (or group of persons or Entities acting in concert) that has not been approved by the Members directly or indirectly owning an interest of ten percent (10%) or larger in a Member or Membership, or (C) the effect of such proposed transfer is or may be to change the ownership of effective control of such Member or Membership.
(iii) This Article 5 shall not be applicable to a proposed transfer of any interest in a Member or other Owner in which the number of individuals and Entities directly or indirectly owning interests prior to such proposed transaction exceeds five hundred (500), unless (w) the interest proposed to be transferred represents a direct or indirect interest of five percent (5%) or larger in a Member or Membership, (x) the transfer would result in any person or Entity (or group of persons or Entities acting in concert) that has not been approved by the Committee or the Members directly or indirectly owning an interest of at least five percent (5%) but less than ten percent (10%) in a Member or Membership, (y) the transfer would result in any person or Entity (or group of persons or Entities acting in concert) that has not been approved by the Members directly or indirectly owning an interest of ten percent (10%) or larger in a Member or Membership, or (z) the effect of such proposed transaction is or may be to change the ownership of effective control of such Member or Membership.
(iv) If a proposed transfer is in the form of a pledge, lien or hypothecation of a Membership or an interest in a Member or Membership in connection with such Member’s incurrence of indebtedness under a credit facility generally available to the Members of the Association that has been approved by the Board of Governors, the Commissioner shall have the power, in his sole discretion, to approve such proposed transfer without submitting it to the Members for approval under Article 5(f) above, upon and subject to such conditions as the Commissioner shall determine.
(i) Any addition, replacement, or substitution of a trustee or a beneficiary of a trust that is an Owner shall be deemed a transfer of the entire interest owned by that trust, unless the Commissioner shall determine that the interest to be transferred is only a portion of the interest owned by the trust (in which case the interest deemed to be transferred for purposes of this Article 5 shall be such portion).
(j) Absent a compelling reason to the contrary as determined by the Board of Governors, it shall be the policy of the Association not to approve a proposed transfer of an interest in a Member or Membership to (i) any governmental or quasi-governmental authority, agency, or instrumentality, or (ii) any person or Entity not satisfying any minimum ownership criteria that may be established from time to time by the Commissioner, the Committee, or the Board of Governors.
(k) Any violation of the provisions of this Article 5 shall constitute a violation of Article 13(b).
ARTICLE 10
TERRITORY
(a) Subject to any rules, regulations, resolutions, or agreements of the Association, or any agreement between the affected Members that has been approved by the Association, the Territory of a Member shall be the territory incorporated within an area of seventy-five (75) air miles of the corporate limits of the city of operation, except that when the line circumscribing the Territory of a Member intersects with the line circumscribing the Territory of another Member, the respective Territories shall be evenly divided by a line between the two (2) points of intersection.
(b) Except in accordance with any rules, regulations, resolutions, or agreements of the Association, (i) a Team operated by a Member shall have no right to play in the Territory of another Member without the consent of the resident Member; and (ii) subject to Article 10(c), no Team shall conduct any of its operations outside of its Territory.
(c) In addition to the territorial rights set forth in Article 10(a) above, a Member shall have priority within the corporate limits of any city in which its Team has played not less than three (3) home Regular Season Games during the preceding Season, provided that it has requested and receives the prior approval of the Association to play in such location. Such priority shall continue so long as such Member’s Team continues to play not less than three (3) home Regular Season Games in such city in each succeeding consecutive Season; provided, however, that the Commissioner, in his discretion, may, by Written Notice to each of the Members of the Association, excuse the failure of the Team of any Member to play such minimum number of games in such city in any one (1) Season, in which event such Member’s priority in such city shall continue notwithstanding its Team’s failure to play such minimum number of games in such city during such Season. "Priority," as used in this paragraph (c), means a preference granted to schedule and play home Regular Season Games and home pre-season Exhibition Games within the corporate limits of such city.
ARTICLE 11
RESIGNATION OF A MEMBER
A Member may resign from the Association at the end of any Season provided Written Notice of such resignation shall have been given to the Commissioner and other Members of the Association at least three (3) calendar days prior to the commencement of the NBA Draft immediately following such Season. However, such resignation shall be effective only if, within thirty (30) days of such notice, the resigning Member shall have (a) made full payment of all dues or other debts owing to the Association, its Members, and any third-party creditors designated by the Association; and (b) assigned to the Commissioner the contracts of its Players, its arena lease (if assignable) and its Membership, in each case free and clear of all liens, claims, and encumbrances. The Commissioner shall have the power to deal with and dispose of such contracts, lease, and Membership as if said Member had suffered an event described in Article 14A hereof. Upon the effective date of such resignation, the resigning Member shall hold no further interest in its Player Contracts, lease, or Membership.
ARTICLE 12
BANKRUPTCY OF A MEMBER
For purposes of this Article 12, a Member shall be deemed to be involved in a bankruptcy proceeding if it makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, a receiver is appointed for all or substantially all of its assets, it voluntarily files a petition for relief under Title 11 of the United States Code or any foreign or state law providing for relief of debtors, or any such petition is filed against it and not discharged within thirty (30) days. The Members of the Association each acknowledge that substantial hardship may result to the creditors of a Member involved in a bankruptcy proceeding, to the other Members of the Association, and to the public if the operations of such Member’s Team are not continued under the direction of a qualified person having no relationship to such Member. Therefore, if any Member is involved in a bankruptcy proceeding, the Association shall have the option, exercisable by a vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the Board of Governors (the Member involved in the bankruptcy proceedings not being considered a Member of the Board of Governors for purposes of this Article), to cause such Member and its assets and properties to be placed under the management and control of the Commissioner. Upon exercise of such option, the Commissioner shall be deemed authorized to take the following actions: to appear on behalf of the Association in any court in which a bankruptcy proceeding is pending; to cause the Member’s Team to continue to play its Exhibition, Regular Season, and Playoff Games; to collect all revenues from every source payable to the Member and apply such revenues, to the extent available, to the payment of such Member’s operating expenses; and to take such further action as he shall deem advisable to accomplish the purpose of the option, all subject to the supervision and control of the court having jurisdiction over the bankruptcy proceeding. The management and control by the Commissioner shall continue until the first to occur of termination of the bankruptcy proceeding, transfer of such Member’s Membership in the Association in accordance with and subject to Article 5, termination of such Member’s Membership in the Association, or a determination by a majority of the Board of Governors (the Member involved in the bankruptcy proceeding not being considered a Member of the Board of Governors for purposes of this Article) that continuation of such management and control is no longer advisable. The existence or exercise of the option shall not impose upon the Association or any of its Members any requirement to provide funds to a Member involved in a bankruptcy proceeding or any liability for another Member’s debts or obligations.
ARTICLE 13
TERMINATION OF OWNERSHIP OR MEMBERSHIP
The Membership of a Member or the interest of any Owner may be terminated by a vote of three fourths (3/4) of the Board of Governors if the Member or Owner shall do or suffer any of the following:
(a) Willfully violate any of the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws, resolutions, or agreements of the Association.
(b) Transfer or attempt to transfer a Membership or an interest in a Member without complying with the provisions of Article 5.
(c) Fail to pay any dues or other indebtedness owing to the Association within thirty (30) days after Written Notice from the Commissioner of default in such payment.
(d) Fail or refuse to fulfill its contractual obligations to the Association, its Members, Players, or any other third party in such a way as to affect the Association or its Members adversely.
(e) Wager or countenance wagering by its officers or employees on any game in which a Team operated by a Member of the Association participates.
(f) Willfully permit open betting, pool selling, or any other form of gambling upon any premises owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the Member or an Owner, except, subject to Article 8(a), for gambling activities that are lawful in the applicable jurisdiction and do not involve in any way, directly or indirectly, gambling with respect to any aspect of the Association’s games, events, property, players, or other personnel.
(g) Offer, agree, conspire, or attempt to lose or control the score of any game participated in by a Team operated by a Member of the Association, or fail to suspend immediately any officer or any Player or other employee of the Member who shall be found guilty, in a court of law or in any hearing sanctioned by this Constitution and By-Laws, of offering, agreeing, conspiring, or attempting to lose or control the score of any such game or of being interested in any pool or wager on any game in which a Team operated by a Member of the Association participates.
(h) Disband its Team during the Season, dissolve its business, or cease its operation.
(i) Willfully fail to present its Team at the time and place it is scheduled to play in an Exhibition, Regular Season, or Playoff Game.
(j) Willfully misrepresent any material fact contained in its application for Membership in the Association.
ARTICLE 14
PROCEDURE FOR TERMINATION
The Membership of a Member or the interest of any Owner shall be terminated on the occurrence of any of the events described in Article 13 by the following procedure:
(a) Any Member of the Association or the Commissioner may charge that a Member or Owner has violated one (1) or more of the provisions of Article 13. Said charge shall be made in Writing and shall be filed with the Commissioner, who shall, no later than three (3) business days after the charges are filed, cause a copy thereof to be served by a Writing upon the Member or Owner against whom such charges have been made.
(b) The Member or Owner so charged shall, within five (5) days after receipt of the charges, file with the Commissioner its written answer thereto. The Commissioner shall thereupon transmit said charges and answer to each of the Governors of the Association and shall call a special meeting of the Governors to hear the charges, to be held on a date not more than ten (10) days after the filing of a Member’s or Owner’s answer, due notice to be given.
(c) Willful failure by a Member or Owner so charged to answer the charges during such five (5) day period or to appear at the hearing shall be deemed an admission by said Member or Owner of the total validity of the charges as presented.
(d) At such hearing, the Chairman of the Board of Governors shall be the presiding officer, except that if the Chairman of the Board of Governors represents either the complaining Member or the Member charged, then the Commissioner shall designate an alternate Chairman for purposes of the hearing.
(e) At the hearing, the Member or Owner so charged shall have the right to be represented by counsel. Strict rules of evidence shall not apply, and all relevant and material evidence submitted prior to and at the hearing may be received and considered.
(f) After duly considering all the evidence, the Board of Governors shall vote upon the proposition that the charges have been sustained in whole or in part. The affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of all the Governors shall be required to sustain the charges.
(g) If, by a three-fourths (3/4) vote, the Board of Governors votes to sustain the charges, the Membership of the guilty Member or the Member in which the guilty Owner has an interest shall automatically be terminated, unless, following a motion duly made and seconded, two-thirds (2/3) of all the Governors vote instead to terminate the ownership interest of the guilty Owner or to invoke the provisions of Article 15.
(h) Notwithstanding Article 14(g) above, in the case of a violation of Article 13 by an Owner who has an interest of ten percent (10%) or less in, and does not have effective control over, a Member, the Membership of such Member may not be terminated solely because of such Owner’s violation. In such case, if the charges are sustained against such Owner by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Board of Governors, the ownership interest of that Owner shall be automatically terminated unless, following a motion duly made and seconded, two-thirds (2/3) of all the Governors vote to invoke the provisions of Article 15.
(i) If any Membership or interest of an Owner shall be terminated pursuant to this Article 14, the provisions of Article 14A shall apply.
(j) The decisions of the Association made in accordance with the foregoing procedure shall be final, binding, and conclusive, and each Member and Owner waives any and all recourse to any court of law to review any such decision.
ARTICLE 14A
CONSEQUENCES OF TERMINATION
(a) When the Membership of a Member is terminated, such Member and its assets, properties and operations shall be placed under the management and control of the Commissioner, who shall have the following powers: to cause the Member’s Team to continue to play its Exhibition, Regular Season, and Playoff Games; to collect all revenues from every source payable to the Member and apply such revenues, to the extent available, to the payment of such Member’s debts and obligations; and, as directed by a majority of the Board of Governors (the Member whose Membership was terminated not being considered a Member of the Board of Governors for the purposes of this Article), either to transfer such Member’s Membership (including its Player Contracts and other assets) in accordance with and subject to Article 5 or to liquidate the Player Contracts and other assets of the Member in an orderly manner in the best interests of the Member and its creditors, and the Association, in each case at such prices and on such terms as the Commissioner shall deem reasonable and appropriate.
(b) When the interest of any Owner is terminated, that interest shall, unless the Commissioner has approved an alternative arrangement, be placed under the management and control of the Commissioner, who shall have the power to exercise all of the rights otherwise exercisable by the Owner of that interest, including, but not limited to, any management or voting rights and the right to transfer all or any portion of that interest in accordance with and subject to Article 5 at such prices and on such terms as the Commissioner shall deem reasonable and appropriate.
(c) All proceeds from any transfer of a Member’s Membership or the liquidation of its Player Contracts and other assets, or of an Owner’s interest in a Member, shall be applied first to discharge the liabilities and obligations to all creditors of the Member (or Owner), including the Association and its Members but excluding any Owner of the Member, second to discharge the liabilities and obligations to any Owner of the Member, and any balance shall be remitted to the Member (or Owner). The existence or implementation of this Article 14A shall not impose upon the Association or any of its Members any requirement to provide funds to any Member (or Owner) or any liability for any debts or obligations of any Member (or Owner).
ARTICLE 15
ALTERNATIVES TO TERMINATION
If a charge that a Member or Owner has committed any of the offenses described in Article 13 is sustained, two-thirds (2/3) of all the Governors may waive the remedy of termination, and instead direct the Member or Owner to pay a stated fine in a stipulated manner and by a stipulated date, which fine may be required to be paid, in whole or in part, to any other Member or Members as compensation to such Member or Members for damages sustained by it or them by reason of such act or acts of omission or commission by such offending Member or Owner. Such fine shall be payable within five (5) days after its imposition. Moreover, the Board of Governors may, in its discretion, either in addition to, or in lieu of, such fine, direct the forfeiture of the offending Member’s Draft rights.