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With the permission of their NBA team, is an NBA player allowed to play in another professional sports league? Obviously there isn't much overlap between the NFL and MLB seasons - but those leagues allowed Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders to play in both leagues simultaneously. Would the NBA allow this?

And here's an obligatory Lebron-related follow-up question. Could an owner that owns another sports team pay him two salaries to play in both leagues? For example, MSG buys an MLB team and pays Lebron the max to play with the Knicks and $20 million to be a pinch runner with their baseball team. Or, if only one contract is allowed, then could they pay him $40 million a season as a baseball player and grant him special permission to play for the Knicks?

There has to be some rule against it, but I just want to know exactly what the rules allow.

In case it wasn't clear, the allusion to the comical scenario where Lebron plays baseball was sort of tongue-in-cheek, since everyone is in Lebron-mania right now; my main question was the title of this thread:

Can any NBA player simultaneously play in another professional sports league with permission? I know Danny Ainge stopped playing in the MLB when he was drafted to the NBA and Mark Hendrickson stopped playing in the NBA when he became an MLB pitcher.

Any information would be helpful.

I would assume it would have to be put in his contract that he can't play such in another league.

nyrangers08 wrote:With the permission of their NBA team, is an NBA player allowed to play in another professional sports league? Obviously there isn't much overlap between the NFL and MLB seasons - but those leagues allowed Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders to play in both leagues simultaneously. Would the NBA allow this?.

The NBA contract explicitly forbids them from playing in most other pro sports leagues. NFL, MLB, or NHL (and even exhibition games of those sports) would all be clearly disallowed (without "the written consent of the Team").

12. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES.

The Player and the Team acknowledge and agree that the Player's participation in certain other activities may impair or destroy his ability and skill as a basketball player, and the Player's participation in any game or exhibition of basketball other than at the request of the Team may result in injury to him. Accordingly, the Player agrees that he will not, without the written consent of the Team, engage in any activity that a reasonable person would recognize as involving or exposing the participant to a substantial risk of bodily injury including, but not limited to: (i) sky-diving, hang gliding, snow skiing, rock or mountain climbing (as distinguished from hiking), rappelling, and bungee jumping; (ii) any fighting, boxing, or wrestling; (iii) driving or riding on a motorcycle or moped; (iv) riding in or on any motorized vehicle in any kind of race or racing contest; (v) operating an aircraft of any kind; (vi) engaging in any other activity excluded or prohibited by or under any insurance policy which the Team procures against the injury, illness or disability to or of the Player, or death of the Player, for which the Player has received written notice from the Team prior to the execution of this Contract; or (vii) participating in any game or exhibition of basketball, football, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, or other team sport or competition. If the Player violates this Paragraph 12, he shall be subject to discipline imposed by the Team and/or the Commissioner of the NBA. Nothing contained herein shall be intended to require the Player to obtain the written consent of the Team in order to enable the Player to participate in, as an amateur, the sports of golf, tennis, handball, swimming, hiking, softball, volleyball, and other similar sports that a reasonable person would not recognize as involving or exposing the participant to a substantial risk of bodily injury.

FGump wrote:

nyrangers08 wrote:With the permission of their NBA team, is an NBA player allowed to play in another professional sports league? Obviously there isn't much overlap between the NFL and MLB seasons - but those leagues allowed Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders to play in both leagues simultaneously. Would the NBA allow this?.

The NBA contract explicitly forbids them from playing in most other pro sports leagues. NFL, MLB, or NHL (and even exhibition games of those sports) would all be clearly disallowed (without "the written consent of the Team").

12. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES.

The Player and the Team acknowledge and agree that the Player's participation in certain other activities may impair or destroy his ability and skill as a basketball player, and the Player's participation in any game or exhibition of basketball other than at the request of the Team may result in injury to him. Accordingly, the Player agrees that he will not, without the written consent of the Team, engage in any activity that a reasonable person would recognize as involving or exposing the participant to a substantial risk of bodily injury including, but not limited to: (i) sky-diving, hang gliding, snow skiing, rock or mountain climbing (as distinguished from hiking), rappelling, and bungee jumping; (ii) any fighting, boxing, or wrestling; (iii) driving or riding on a motorcycle or moped; (iv) riding in or on any motorized vehicle in any kind of race or racing contest; (v) operating an aircraft of any kind; (vi) engaging in any other activity excluded or prohibited by or under any insurance policy which the Team procures against the injury, illness or disability to or of the Player, or death of the Player, for which the Player has received written notice from the Team prior to the execution of this Contract; or (vii) participating in any game or exhibition of basketball, football, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, or other team sport or competition. If the Player violates this Paragraph 12, he shall be subject to discipline imposed by the Team and/or the Commissioner of the NBA. Nothing contained herein shall be intended to require the Player to obtain the written consent of the Team in order to enable the Player to participate in, as an amateur, the sports of golf, tennis, handball, swimming, hiking, softball, volleyball, and other similar sports that a reasonable person would not recognize as involving or exposing the participant to a substantial risk of bodily injury.

I don't think it's quite true that "The NBA contract explicitly forbids them from playing in most other pro sports leagues." The OP asked "With the permission of their NBA team, is an NBA player allowed to play in another professional sports league?" And from what FGump posted above, the answer to that question seems to be "yes". . . as long as they get written permission from their team.