With inclusivity at the forefront, the NBA initiatives for Pride Month roll on.
Sports are intended to be inclusive for everybody — a value the NBA holds at the forefront.
“The NBA has been about inclusivity from the start, it’s a part of our DNA,” Lesley Slaton Brown, the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at the NBA said.
The NBA seeks to uphold its core values of equality, diversity, and inclusion every step of the way, with Pride Month 2024 giving the league another chance to do so.
The NBA was the first major sports league to establish an employee resource team (ERT) for the LGBTQ+ employees known as NBA Pride. Through a series of activations that celebrates the league’s commitment to Pride, the NBA family looks to empower and share the voices of those in the LGBTQ+ community internally and beyond. Every year since 2016, the NBA has had a contingent in the New York City Pride March, a tradition that will extend for this year’s march on June 30th with employees from across the organization taking part in the celebration.
“We want everyone to know they have a safe space in sports and for our fans to know they are welcome here”, Bonnie Thurston, the Director of Player Programs at the WNBA and Co-Chair of NBA Pride said.
The Pride March contingent ranges from league staff members, former players, officials, family members, and senior leadership demonstrating a unifying front across the NBA. Those taking part in the Pride March will be wearing the NBA, WNBA & G League Fanatics Pride Tee Shirt Line with shirt proceeds benefiting the organization Athlete Ally.
On a regular basis, the NBA makes sure there is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ vendors to be a part of merchandise selection, featuring their products in the NBA Store and WNBA Store. There’s a focus on Pride Month but the league shows up in market at events like NBA All-Star Weekend and facilitates matchmaking and certification process to ensure partners get qualified and to help grow local economic sustainability longer term.
The work for the NBA & WNBA extends past June. It’s a year-long commitment to focusing on the issues faced in the LGBTQ+ community. The league brings in local organizations that are rooted in service for the LGBTQ+ community to provide resources and help amplify their efforts to the forefront.
“This is all year for us,” Brown said. “It is about making sure that we continue to focus on gender identity and expression in not just June but all year.”
Additionally, teams in the NBA and WNBA host yearly ‘Pride Nights’ where they celebrate Pride and honor local organizations that support and uplift the LGBTQ+ community.
Atlanta Hawks mascot “Harry the Hawk” waves an Atlanta Hawks Pride flag to celebrate pride night in support of the LGTBQIA+ community prior to the game between the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks.
With this focus in mind, the league aims to create an environment where employees can bring their whole selves to work daily.
“We believe fundamentally that allowing people to bring their authentic selves to work is a business driver,” Brown said. “If you are able to come and be comfortable doing your best work, we can get a better product from you.”
The NBA can’t do this work alone, working closely with various partners as well.
Athlete Ally works to end homophobia and transphobia in sports and has developed inclusivity training with NBA teams and all NBA rookies. Several current and former NBA & WNBA players are ambassadors for Athlete Ally including Reggie Bullock Jr., Layshia Clarendon and Kenneth Faried.
GLAAD aims to share stories from the LGBTQ+ community and accelerate acceptance through entertainment and digital media. Every third Thursday in October, the NBA partners with GLAAD to celebrate Spirit Day, an anti-bullying campaign focused on helping LGBTQ+ youth in schools. NBA alum Spirit Day Ambassadors for GLAAD include Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Collins.
This season, the league welcomed its first non-binary referee, an important reminder that continuous efforts are needed to make sure everyone feels welcome.
“It’s important for us to do terminology training for our leadership and employees,” Brown said. “We’ve worked with arena and facility leaders to reframe locker rooms to ensure everyone feels supported and safe.”
NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, will amplify the efforts of community partners dedicated to providing support and resources to LGBTQ+ members and their allies on digital platforms.
“We have a tremendous platform and we have a lot of eyes on our leagues…People look to us as leaders and we won’t shy away from who we are”, Thurston said.