The NBA lockout ended on Saturday, and fans across the ACU campus arre relieved that there will be an NBA season this year after many months of uncertainty.

The NBA players’ union and the NBA owners reached a tentative agreement that lets teams get back to work as early as Dec. 9, which sets opening day on Christmas Day. It is expected to lead to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that will change the entire economic system for the NBA.

The change will start players receiving 51.15 percent of Basketball Related Income compared to the 57 percent they were getting in the 2005 CBA. Players will also lose 20 percent of their 2011-2012 salaries due to the games missed during the lockout.

“I think it’s great that they were able to work it out and salvage the season. As a big Mavericks fan, I’m really excited to see them out on the court playing again,” said Shayne Cox, senior business management major from Fort Worth.

Players warn, though, that this is just a tentative agreement and nothing is set in stone at this point. The players and the owners still have to ratify the new deal first.

The lockout was damaging for the players, but Cox said she thought the fans were also short-changed by the NBA’s internal conflict. Season ticket holders lost on their investment while games were canceled so players and owners could haggle over money.

“As a fan, it was frustrating to watch the owners and the players argue over millions of dollars while so many people don’t even have a job,” Cox said. “I don’t think they were really doing this new deal with the fan in mind, and now they are going to have to pay for it.”

NBA has some work to do reconnecting with many casual fans, but overall the basketball faithful are just happy there will be a season this year.

“It’s about time that the owners and players put aside their pride and made a deal,” said Ryan Vick, senior exercise science major from Denton. “It just wouldn’t be the same if there wasn’t any NBA basketball this year.”