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NBA Players, Owners Tentatively Agree To End Lockout, Aim For Christmas Day Season Opener

According to various reports on Friday night, the NBA players and owners have agreed in principle to end their lockout and all pending litigation by the players against the league. Ken Berger of CBS Sports first reported the deal, then laid out the next steps in the process:

Agreement will be followed reforming of the union, which must be recognized by the owners -- a formality, pending finalization of details.

Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweeted that Players Association Billy Hunter said, "We intend to meet first thing in the morning with our lawyers ... turn the matter over to them ... a matter of three days to a week."

There are no real details of the deal as of yet, but the tentative plan is for training camps to open on December 9, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, with a 66-game schedule. The season would presumably begin on Christmas Day, though it is unknown the exact ramifications of the schedule and what games from the original schedule, if any, would continue.

The Los Angeles Lakers were originally scheduled to host the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center on December 25.