LEAGUE RULES

Section One: Commissioner's Office


1.1: Commissioner's Role
The Commissioner holds final authority over all CBL operations, including Elite, Pro, and
Amateur tiers. The Commissioner sets league direction, resolves disputes the Board of
Governors cannot settle, and ensures every division of the league operates under one
constitution.

1.1.1: Hearing of Constitutional Amendment
Any proposed amendment to this constitution must be submitted in writing to the
Commissioner's Office. The Commissioner hears the proposal, consults the Board of
Governors, and issues a ruling to adopt, reject, or send the amendment to a Board vote.

1.1.2: Letter of Understanding
When the Commissioner and an Owner, Manager, or Player reach an agreement outside
the standard rules (a settlement, an exception, a probationary term), that agreement is
recorded in a Letter of Understanding and is binding on all parties named in it.

1.1.3: Official Announcements
All binding league announcements (rule changes, schedule changes, disciplinary rulings)
are issued through the Commissioner's Office. No other party may issue an
announcement and present it as league policy.

1.1.4: Executive Orders
The Commissioner may issue an Executive Order to resolve an urgent matter not
otherwise addressed by this constitution. An Executive Order remains in effect until the
next constitutional review, at which point it is either formally adopted into this document

1.1.5: Staff Training
The Commissioner's Office is responsible for training incoming Deputy Commissioners,
League Directors, and Development Committee staff on this constitution and current
league procedure before they take on active duties.

1.2: Deputy Commissioners — League Directors
Deputy Commissioners act on the Commissioner's behalf in day-to-day league
administration across the Elite, Pro, and Amateur tiers.

1.2.1: Management Assistance
Deputy Commissioners assist Owners and Management with onboarding, roster
compliance questions, and procedural guidance.

1.2.2: Procedural Enforcement
Deputy Commissioners enforce scheduling, roster, and game-night procedures as written
in Articles II and III, and may issue procedural rulings without elevating routine matters to
the Commissioner.

1.2.3: Management Training
Deputy Commissioners train new Owners and Management staff on roster transactions,
cap compliance, and game-night responsibilities.

1.2.4: Role of The Deputy Commissioner
A Deputy Commissioner may be assigned oversight of a specific tier (Elite, Pro, or
Amateur) or a specific function (scheduling, discipline, transactions) at the
Commissioner's discretion.

1.3: League Directors

League Directors report to the Deputy Commissioners and handle the operational
workload of their assigned tier or function.

1.3.1: League Management
League Directors manage the daily administrative needs of their tier: confirming lineups,
tracking stat submissions, and flagging compliance issues to a Deputy Commissioner.


1.4: Judicial Appeal Process and Player Representation
Any Player, Owner, or Manager subject to a disciplinary ruling has the right to appeal
through the judicial process defined in Article IV, Section Two. A Player may request
representation from a Development Committee member during an appeal hearing.

1.5: Conduct
All Commissioner's Office staff are held to the same conduct standards defined for
Owners and Management in Sections Four and Five, and are subject to removal for
violations of this constitution.

2.1: Role
The Board of Governors represents Owners across the Elite, Pro, and Amateur tiers and
advises the Commissioner's Office on league policy, scheduling, and disciplinary matters
that affect the league as a whole.

2.2: Suspensions
The Board of Governors may recommend a suspension of an Owner, Manager, or Player to
the Commissioner's Office following a judicial ruling under Article IV. A Board
recommendation is advisory; final suspension authority rests with the Commissioner.

2.3: Board of Governors Vote
Matters requiring a Board vote pass with a simple majority of seated Governors. The
Commissioner may break a tie vote.

2.4: Board of Governors Selections
Board seats are filled by Owner vote within each tier, subject to Commissioner approval.
A Governor serves until they resign, are removed for cause, or lose their ownership role.

2.5: Conduct
Board members are held to the same conduct standards as Owners under Section Four
and may be removed from the Board for violating them, independent of any penalty
applied to their ownership status.

Section Three: Development Committee

3.1: Committee Leader
The Development Committee is led by a Committee Leader appointed by the
Commissioner's Office, responsible for player growth, onboarding, and league education
initiatives across all three tiers.

3.2: Player Education
The Development Committee maintains onboarding materials covering this constitution,
game-night procedures, and NBA 2K27 Crews setup, and ensures new Players entering
the Amateur tier receive this material before their first game.

3.3: Polling the Players for Their Vote
The Development Committee is responsible for polling Players on constitutional
amendments, rule changes, and other matters this constitution designates for a player
vote, and for reporting results to the Commissioner's Office.

3.4: Conduct
Development Committee members are held to the same conduct standards as League
Directors under Section One and may be removed by the Commissioner's Office for
cause.

Section Four: Owners

4.1: Role
An Owner holds a franchise in the Elite, Pro, or Amateur tier and is responsible for that
team's roster, Management staff, salary cap compliance, and game-night participation.

4.2: Roster Transactions
Owners execute roster transactions (signings, trades, waivers, call-ups, send-downs)
under the procedures in Article III. An Owner may delegate day-to-day transaction
authority to their Management staff but remains accountable for all moves made on their
behalf.

4.3: Compliance
Owners are responsible for ensuring their roster stays within the $55,000,000 salary cap,
meets the 12-man roster requirement, and spends at least 90% of the salary cap at all
times, per Article III, Section One.

4.4: Accountability
An Owner is accountable for the conduct of their Players and Management staff.
Repeated violations by a team's personnel may result in penalties against the Owner
directly, including fines, draft pick forfeiture, or removal.

4.5: Management
Owners may hire Management staff (General Managers, Assistant GMs, Coaches) to
assist in running the team, subject to the criteria in Article I, Section Five.

4.6: Management Office
Each Owner maintains a Management Office of record — the designated point of contact
for the League Office on all roster, scheduling, and compliance matters.

4.7: Filing Management Appeals
An Owner may file an appeal of a League ruling affecting their team through the judicial
process defined in Article IV, Section Two.

4.8: Owner's Vote
Owners vote on matters this constitution reserves for ownership (expansion, relocation,
constitutional amendments referred by the Commissioner). Each franchise carries one
vote regardless of tier.

4.9: Owner Selections
New ownership is approved by the Commissioner's Office following a review of the
applicant's conduct history and financial ability to maintain a franchise.

4.10: Owner Commitment
An Owner commits to fielding a compliant roster for every scheduled game night across
the season, per Article II. Failure to field a roster without an approved reschedule or
forfeit is subject to Article II, Section Five.

4.11: Conduct
Owners are held to the general conduct standard in Article IV, Section One, and the
Owner-specific expectations in Article IV, Section Five.

All trades must be submitted through the league site trade system and approved by an admin before they are official. Verbal or DM-only trades are not binding.

Players may not be traded during their first 3 games of a season (new player protection period).

Free agent signings must be processed through the site. A player is not officially on your roster until the signing is confirmed on the site.

All teams must remain under the salary cap at all times. A team that exceeds the cap due to a trade or signing will have 48 hours to become compliant before penalties are assessed.

The salary cap amount is set each season by the admin and displayed on the league site. Cap figures are based on in-game contract values as set by admin.

Teams discovered to be over the cap for more than 48 hours will forfeit their next draft pick.

League members represent the Club Basketball League on and off the virtual court. Public posts that bring the league into disrepute, call out other players in a disrespectful manner, or reveal private league communications will be reviewed by admins and may result in suspension.

All official league communication happens through the APL forum. It is each player's responsibility to check the forum regularly for announcements.

Any protest must be filed within 48 hours of the game result being posted on the site. Protests must be submitted through the forum with a written description and supporting video evidence.

The admin panel will review all protests within 72 hours. The reviewing admin's decision is final. Players who abuse the protest system will lose protest privileges for the remainder of the season.