( CNN ) -- After a long lockout , the National Basketball Association will open its doors Thursday for teams to hold voluntary workouts . The move comes after last week 's announcement that the players and owners had reached a tentative deal to end the league 's months-long lockout . The season , that was scheduled to have begun November 1 , will now start Christmas Day . Team owners locked out players in early July as the two sides tried to hammer out a new agreement . The sometimes bitter battle lasted 149 days . One of the main sticking points was a split in revenues that owners said was unfair . They sought to change the old revenue-sharing arrangement that gave players 57 % of the revenue . The new deal offers a virtual 50-50 split . Training camps will open December 9 , and the season will be 66 games instead of the usual 82 . A previous lockout in the NBA lasted 204 days -- from July 1998 to January 1999 -- before a new collective bargaining agreement was reached by both sides . CNN 's Dan Moriarty contributed to this report .
This move comes after players and owners said they reached a deal . The season will be 66 games instead of the usual 82 . The deal gives players and owners a virtual 50-50 split of revenue , NBA.com says .