The first paycheques of the 2001-2002 NBA season were distributed to the players Thursday and the take-home pay was 10-per-cent lighter than what the players would usually expect.

The league-wide deductions are part of the so-called escrow tax that the players agreed to in 1999 when they signed their current collective agreement. It ended a bitter lockout that almost resulted in the cancellation of the 1998-99 NBA season.

The players will get the money back at the end of the season if NBA player salaries don't exceed 55 per cent of the league's basketball-related income, which includes ticket sales, broadcast revenue, in-arena sales and marketing relationships. If, as expected, the player salaries exceed the 55-per-cent margin, the league is free to use the money in whatever manner it wishes.