NBA players, referees meet to discuss rising issues

A small group of NBA referees and players held a meeting Saturday, working to relieve mounting tension between the sides.

The meeting included three players, three referees and officials from both the referees' union and the players' union. Among the items agreed on was establishing a direct communication line between the two unions that would not involve the NBA league office to address issues that arise between the sides, according to a joint statement from the unions.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, there was a concern from the unions that sometimes the league office doesn't communicate the same information to referees and players, and that was contributing to the divide.

Several issues were raised during the meeting. The unions agreed to have more meetings in the future.