The fate of the National Basketball Association season remained in limbo after players filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the governing body and another two weeks of competition were scrapped.

As expected, players filed a class action lawsuit against the NBA, setting the stage for a complicated legal battle to resolve their bitter labor dispute.

The court action came as the NBA formally notified teams that all regular season games through to December 15 had been cancelled, extending the delay to six weeks after the first month of games was already lost. The season was supposed to start on November 1.

The moves came a day after players rejected a contract offer that included plans for a shortened season, saying the terms were unacceptable and they wanted to pursue legal action.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Northern California, was brought on behalf of named plaintiffs, Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Leon Powe.

The suit seeks to represent NBA players and other prospective professionals while the defendants include the league and its 30 member teams.

The latest collective bargaining agreement that players turned down on Monday, called for a 50-50 split of basketball related income between the owners and players and would have provided for a 72-game season.