SportsJuly 16, 2026
apron
/ˈeɪ.prən/
Definition
A specific financial threshold in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement that imposes strict salary cap penalties on teams that exceed it.
Etymology
Derived from the Middle English 'naperon,' meaning a small tablecloth or napkin, which came from the Old French 'naperon.' It eventually shifted to 'apron' in English through a process called rebracketing, where the 'n' was incorrectly attached to the indefinite article 'a'.
In the news
In this article, the term appears in a list of topics discussed at an NBA board of governors meeting, where the 'second apron' is a key regulation affecting team spending and roster building.
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Read the full article ↗Newsday