Racism and the NBA: Have NBA Governors Done Enough?

The National Basketball Association is one of the most prolific revenue-producing professional sports leagues. One of its best and most well-known athletes, Lebron James, is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers and is the fifth wealthiest sports player in the world, with an estimated net worth of $480 million. A strong supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, James consistently uses his platform to raise awareness around social issues, like voter mobilization, education access, and police brutality. In 2012, while a member of the Miami Heat, James and the Heat wore black hoodies in memory of Trayvon Martin. More recently, James was famously told to “shut up and dribble” by Fox News host Laura Ingraham in 2018, after making comments on President Donald Trump and how his wealth has not protected him from the reality of racism in America.

After the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020, Black Lives Matter protests reached an unprecedented level of intensity and participation throughout the United States. Although the N.B.A. had suspended all games at the time due to COVID-19, N.B.A. Commissioner Adam Silver still commented on George Floyd’s murder in a highly publicized memo, stating: “Racism, police brutality and racial injustice remain part of everyday life in America and cannot be ignored.” When the N.B.A. returned in July of 2020, it seemed like the league and its players intended for their stance on these ideas to be robust and visible to viewers throughout the world.  Players could choose social justice statements to place on the backs of their jerseys in lieu of their names: popular statements included ‘Equality’, Black Lives Matter’, and ‘Justice.’ From the messages inscribed on the backs of select players’ jerseys—albeit pre-approved by the league—to the message “Black Lives Matter” printed on the wood court floors, the entire league was with Black Lives Matter messaging. It appeared that the N.B.A. not only wanted to demonstrate that it was able to recognize the urgency of racial injustice in America on behalf of its majority-Black players, but also that they possess a desire to address these injustices throughout the country. 

These changes were mostly media-friendly and fairly innocuous: a clear example of performative activism. The highly-visible nature of these statements combined with a lack of political action reveals the N.B.A.’s desire to appear progressive without taking any enduring steps towards change. Silver has demonstrated a desire to remove these changes in the upcoming 2021 season. When talking about removing the messaging from jerseys and courts, Silver stated, “Those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor. And I understand those people who are saying ‘I’m on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game.’” The league and Silver’s willingness to remove this messaging after one season exhibits a lack of real care or desire to make any sort of effectual change. 

Adam Silver is responsible for the N.B.A.’s major statements and any significant changes undertaken by the league. In August of 2020, Silver spearheaded the creation of the N.B.A. Foundation, an organization dedicated to “economic empowerment in the Black community.” The Board of Governors donated a total of $300 million to start the organization, but the responsibility of continuing to fund the organization falls on not only governors and the league, but the players, as well. The creation of this organization at a time of increased racial unrest in the United States seems like a case of appeasement and is simply too little, too late. It is unreasonable to place a financial burden on players when the league and governors have tens of billions of dollars at their disposal. 

Players like LeBron James have expressed their concerns about not feeling heard within the league. After the shooting of Jacob Blake, James tweeted in frustration “F*** THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT.” James, along with the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers, even threatened to walk off the court and boycott the season if there wasn’t meaningful change. In late August, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers both voted to boycott the season during a three-hour meeting with members from all 13 teams still participating in the playoffs. James specifically wanted N.B.A. governors to advocate for social change, and go beyond just donating $300 million and shirk any further responsibility. After this incident, former U.S. President Barack Obama got involved in the negotiations, encouraging players to continue the season and create change from within by using their platforms for good. Although this strategy seems great in theory, no governors have committed to any concrete social change since the players agreed to return to play. The resumption of the season seems to have only reinforced the status quo within the league. 

The N.B.A. governors are collectively worth tens of billions of dollars and should utilize their money to lobby for racial justice and equity in America. If governors created a lobbyist group specifically to combat racial injustice and police brutality, their money could jumpstart real change and compel politicians to listen. The N.B.A. has been more willing to tackle racial justice than any other professional sports league, but has still not done enough. These governors could form a powerful coalition that could greatly benefit Black Americans—whom they depend upon as players and who make up over 25 percent of their viewers. 

In light of their inaction, players should consider their relative power in this situation. Players bring in astronomically high amounts of revenue, and if they are not being heard then they should utilize their voices through collective action, such as a general strike. If LeBron James and the Lakers had walked out of the N.B.A. bubble in late August, they would have cost the N.B.A. millions of dollars in revenue. The N.B.A. governors and the league’s lack of meaningful and sustained action is a disappointment to the players and viewers of the N.B.A. alike. If athletes like LeBron James can advocate for racial equality and voter mobilization on a regular basis, the league and governors can and should make a better effort not to be complicit in their silence. 

N.B.A. governors should not only use their money to continuously support the N.B.A. foundation but also to advocate for bills addressing police reform and racial economic equity. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the Federal Reserve Racial and Economic Equity Act are two acts that have been introduced in Congress, but which haven’t been passed into law as of yet. Advocating for these bills and similar bills proposed in the future would be real action items that lobbyists could accomplish. N.B.A. governors could serve those who make up a substantive portion of their players and viewers: Black Americans.

Rachel Krul is a staff writer at CPR and a sophomore at Barnard College studying Political Science and Human Rights.