Approximately 100 NBA employees walked out on Friday in solidarity with NBA and WNBA players who have engaged in social justice protests, a league source tells Malika Andrews of ESPN.
The staffers, based in New York and New Jersey, span 10 separate league departments, including basketball operations, finance, and marketing. As Andrews details, they plan to spend the day on Friday calling state and local officials to “demand justice for Jacob Blake and for the police officers to be held accountable.”
In a letter directed to commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, the employees said they feel the NBA has the power and leverage to do more to address and combat police brutality and systemic racism.
“We acknowledge and credit all the work the NBA has already done,” the letter reads, per Andrews. “But we have the power to have a greater impact. The NBA has not done enough proactively, and rather has relied too heavily on our players… We understand that we are a business, but fears of losing revenue and advertisers should not numb us to the cries of Black men, women and children that continue to be oppressed in the same communities in which we play.”
The employees will meet on Friday afternoon for a brainstorming session and hope to formally present their ideas to Silver and Tatum next week, says Andrews. Prior to being notified of the staffers’ decision to protest on Friday, Silver sent out a letter to league employees about the situation.
“I understand that some of you feel the league should be doing more. I hear you – and please know that I am focused on ensuring that we as a league are effecting real change both within our organization and in communities across the country,” Silver’s message reads, in part. “Through the efforts of our internal Social Justice Task Force and the commitments we made, including the formation of the first-ever NBA Foundation to create greater economic empowerment in the Black community, we are dedicated to driving the sustainable change that is long overdue.”