The National Basketball Association has received praise for its progressiveness under the leadership of late commissioner David Stern and current commissioner Adam Silver. But like other professional sports, the NBA started off as a segregated league before integration began to reshape American society at large. Prior to the 1950s, Black teams competed in the Black Fives, the basketball equivalent of the Negro Leagues. When the New York Renaissance won their first championship in 1939, their star player took a razor blade to his jacket, which said "World Colored Champions,” so that it would just read “World Champions,” explains Black Fives Foundation Founder Claude Johnson.
The flashy Harlem Globetrotters (and their embittered rivals, the Washington Generals) are also part of this early history, dazzling fans with smooth play while also navigating the realities of Jim Crow. In one retrograde clip, the Globetrotters are described as performing “monkey business.”
When NBA legend Bill Russell and the other black members of the Boston Celtics were refused service at a Kentucky restaurant in the early 1960s, they boycotted a game—a groundbreaking statement at the time. And after civil rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated, Russell flew down to Mississippi to conduct integrated basketball camps. Other legends like Elgin Baylor, Oscar Roberts, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were also outspoken as players and Abdul-Jabbar himself is still known for his social commentary, writing for outlets like the Los Angeles Times and Time.
Walking in the tradition of these earlier hoops legends, Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are among the current group of stars speaking out during the Black Lives Matter era. And with their activism comes familiar criticism, including Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham’s “shut up and dribble” remark from a few years ago. Still, in a majority-Black league with a strong Black and Hispanic fanbase, the NBA is likely to continue to be a strong site of athlete activism.
The recently-minted NBA Foundation pledged an initial $300 million over the next decade to spur economic growth in the Black community. Each team will donate $1 million annually, or $30 million collectively, over those 10 years. The foundation's work will include increasing access and support for high school, college-aged and career-ready Black men and women, and assisting national and local organizations that provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development in NBA markets and communities across the United States and Canada.
The NBA was also ahead of the curve with COVID-19. In early March, on the heels of a few players testing positive, the league quickly suspended play, modeling responsible leadership and hammering home the seriousness of the pandemic. Later, thanks to an airtight bubble and strict testing protocol, the NBA season resumed, only to halt again for a few days when the Milwaukee Bucks, and ultimately the rest of the league’s players, made a historic stand for social justice. Some noted the irony in the NBA being able to isolate from COVID-19 but not from systemic racism.
Unlike their 1960s and 1970s counterparts, this current generation of NBA stars also wields unprecedented earnings and influence. The top 10 NBA players alone earned about $367.7 million in salary during the 2019-2020 season. Some have already begun to donate through foundations, while others have tapped powerful brands and social media accounts to amplify their causes. What's more, these players are engaging in this work while juggling active playing careers.
In other words, the work we're seeing from NBA athletes now could pale in comparison to what might happen when these players hang it all up and have more time for other interests. Consider the recent outspokenness of Michael Jordan, 57, who once notoriously quipped (though only in jest, he says) “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”
With that in mind, here’s a rundown of some of the current NBA voices:
1. LeBron James
Someone once broke into Bill Russell's Massachusetts home, scrawled insults on the walls and defecated in his bed. In 2017, a racial slur was sprayed on Lebron James' home. Having recently led the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship, James is one of the leading voices of his generation of athletes in speaking up about social issues. James, former teammate Dwyane Wade, and others once suited up in “I Can’t Breathe” apparel, referencing the broader discussion about police brutality and reform. And following the death of Trayvon Martin, James and Wade, donned hooded sweatshirts.
On the philanthropic front, James launched the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF), which invests time, resources and attention in the kids of LeBron’s hometown of Akron, Ohio. LJFF’s flagship I PROMISE program serves more than 1,400 Akron-area at-risk youths and has partnered with the University of Akron to provide four-year scholarships.
LeBron and his business partner Maverick Carter donated $2.5 million to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, supporting “Muhammad Ali: A Force for Change,” an exhibit on the late boxer’s commitment to social justice. In 2020, LeBron also partnered with comedian Kevin Hart and others to form More Than a Vote, an organization that supports African-American voter registration and addresses voter suppression.
2. Stephen and Ayesha Curry
Perhaps second only to Wilt Chamberlain in Golden State Warriors lore, sharpshooting guard Stephen Curry brought three championships to the Bay Area last decade. In 2019, Steph and Ayesha Curry launched the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, focusing on three vital pillars for a healthy childhood—helping end childhood hunger, ensuring universal access to quality education, and enabling healthy, active lifestyles.
In the education space, the foundation has linked up with organizations like Oakland Promise Initiative, College Track and East Oakland Youth Development Center. Another partner, Students Rising Above, focuses on preparing kids not just for college enrollment, but for degree completion.
Curry also recently gave a seven-figure donation to Howard University in Washington, D.C., to launch the first-ever men’s and women’s Division I golf program. Of some 100 HBCUs, only a few dozen have golf programs, and Howard hasn’t had one since the 1970s. And while Tiger Woods has been synonymous with the sport for years, still only about 6% of collegiate golfers are Black, Latino or Native American, according to the NCAA. Barriers include overt discrimination at clubs and more systemic problems like the cost of equipment and the location of courses.
Back in 2014, Curry was among a group of players ready to boycott if Clippers owner Donald Sterling wasn't banned by Adam Silver. And he has participated on the ground in protests in local Bay Area communities.
3. Kevin Durant
When Kevin Durant returns to the court with the Brooklyn Nets, the squad will be a force to reckon with. The 31-year-old moves philanthropy through the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation (KDCF), which aims to enrich the lives of at-risk youth through educational, athletic and social programs. KDCF committed $10 million over 10 years to create College Track at the Durant Center in Durant’s hometown of Prince George’s County, Maryland. KDCF also runs Team Durant, a youth basketball program that “provides coaching, mentorship and character development for 15 boys and girls teams for ages eight to 17.” The foundation also works on homelessness.
4. Jaylen Brown
Twenty-four-year-old Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown is a perennial all-star in the making. He is also one of the most outspoken young stars in the league. In May, the Cal Berkeley star drove 15 hours from Boston down to Georgia to lead a protest march in the days after the release of the video of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Brown has also tapped his 1.6 million followers on Twitter and Instagram and has already spoken at institutions like Harvard and MIT. He even initially considered not joining the NBA pandemic restart, before deciding that he could use the platform to do good: “At the end of the day, Black Lives Matter and Black athletes’ lives matter, as well... I respect any guy’s decision. My decision was to play just because I felt like it’s bigger than me and it’s bigger than my family and it’s bigger than all of us. People have died for the opportunity to be able to shed light and speak on certain causes. The least I could do is play basketball.”
5. Chris Paul
Considered one of the savviest players of all time, NBA veteran future Hall of Famer Chris Paul serves as National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) president. While entertainers and celebrities at large have been highly involved in the "Vote or Die" campaign, Paul helped spearhead efforts to get more actual NBA players to register to vote. 76ers coach Doc Rivers estimated that only about 20% of the league voted in the last election. Now, Paul reports that more than 90% of the league's players are registered.
6. Jrue and Lauren Holiday
The New Orleans Pelicans guard and retired U.S. women’s’ professional soccer player recently launched the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Fund (JLHF), committing an initial $5 million to support local Black-led nonprofit organizations, city-wide initiatives that seek to bring about equitable outcomes for Black and brown communities, and HBCUs. The family has decided to focus on regions where they have ties—New Orleans, the Los Angeles area and Indianapolis.
7. Carmelo Anthony
Former New York Knicks star and Baltimore resident Carmelo Anthony wore a Cassius Clay T-shirt as he marched with demonstrators in his hometown in 2015 to protest the death of Freddie Gray, who died in police custody.
