Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert said Friday that the NBA is very concerned after more than 200 NFL players protested by kneeling or using other means of expression during the national anthem last weekend.

The NBA wants to work to address the concerns of players by talking or "giving them an outlet" to discuss the issues, Gilbert said, but added that he believes that the relationship between NBA players and the league is good.

"The NFL is in a different place because that's where it all sort of mushroomed out of," Gilbert told CNBC. "The discussions [Thursday] at the NBA board of governors meetings were very, very intense; and very, very vocal; and very, very concerning."

"I think everyone should be concerned," Gilbert added in an interview on "Squawk Box." "The players, the players' union, the owners, the management, the coaches, general managers."

Probably half the owners or three-quarters of them talked during the meeting, Gilbert said, "which is not that usual that so many talk, basically. People had strong feelings and it was about, 'Let's get ahead of it.'"