Removal of Player Images From NBA.com During Lockout Done For Legal, Not Petty, Reasons

The removal of players' likenesses from NBA.com was not merely a juvenile move by the league to erase its opponents in the NBA lockout from its website.

The action, which drew attention almost as soon as it was instituted with the start of the lockout Friday, is in fact an attempt by the owners to play it safe while the collective bargaining agreement and licensing deal with the players are under dispute, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Fans who visit NBA.com or any NBA team websites see stories about retired players and the WNBA, but no highlights or images of current players. On player pages, team logos have replaced player photos. The league is reportedly assuring it does not run afoul of the players association's right to control the players' images.

The move is cautious, but might be a little excessive, Tulane Law School associate professor Gabe Feldman told the L.A. Times.

"It comes as a surprise to me, and I'm not sure that it has to be that drastic," Feldman was quoted as saying. "Maybe they are being over-careful here, but I think just as other websites and news outlets will continue to use the NBA player images, the NBA websites will likely have some right to use them."

The NFL's website still uses player images, but it negotiated its licensing deal and CBA separately.