The aim was to take a real stand against the continuing stream of police violence that plagued the country. But a second message became abundantly clear: Where the NBA’s biggest stars go, others will follow.
There are some important factors that are holding the wheels of the NBA’s ongoing activism. And it starts with some simple math.
It’s no secret that the NBA has the highest percentage of Black players of any major sport in the US. In 2019, about 74% of players in the NBA were identified as Black, and about 83% were people of color, according to data from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. By comparison, about 59% of NFL players in 2019 identified as Black, and Black players made only 8.4% of MLB opening day schedules in 2018.
This trend is expanding to leadership roles: At the beginning of July, 32% of the general managers of the league were Black. At the start of the 2019 season, 23% of head coaches were Black. Taken alone, these stats are far from ideal in a league dominated by Black players. But they are the highest among professional competitions of men.
Overall, it is not hard to imagine that this variety extends to the fans and supporters of the league. An analysis by FiveThirtyEight shows that NBA fans are also the most liberal leaning of all big men of sports fans. With such an audience, progressive messages of racial justice from players are much more often a receiving ear.
His players know their star power
In general, the NBA tends to place more focus on individual players than entire teams, a principle that is reflected in the culture and throughout the structure of the league. “There are more individual stars in the NBA, and that star is important.” says Jamal Murphy, co-host of the Bill Rhoden On Sports podcast and reported for The Undefeated. “Those stars are making more money, they can spread their ideas on social media, and what they say has more weight.”
While this has not always been the case, international basketball superstars such as LeBron James and Chris Paul have in recent years set an agenda of racial justice among the sport’s most influential players. That impact is now clearly visible and will likely remain so.
“Well, these players show that they are not afraid to quit the sport themselves,” Murphy says. “They’ve actually seen what kind of power and influence they have, and we can see some of that dripping into other leagues.”
Finally, do not underestimate the power of a face. With close, fewer players and no masks to hide their faces, it is much easier to determine who is who on a basketball court than in, say, a football huddle or a hidden baseball dugout. Believe it or not, that can make a difference in how we perceive single players against a whole team of uniform, faceless components.
Players get more support from above
Recent years have seen a marked increase in the dialogue of social justice in professional sports, and it has not been uncommon to talk to NBA coaches, owners and other league leaders to defend their players.
“NBA commissioner Adam Silver and team ownership are a little more liberal and a little less firmly conservative than other leagues,” Murphy says. (Again, “liberal” should be considered here in relation to other major sports organizations.) Silver has also taken a relatively strong stance against racism among the top echelons of the sport and across the country, giving teams and players a path to follow pack.
Even the way players are paid and employed gives them an extra level of security when it comes to their personal beliefs.
“NBA players have guaranteed contracts, so they’re inherently financially more stable and secure in their position than in the NFL, where you can cut back from one year to the next,” Murphy says.
A history of activism runs through the sport
Although the recent pattern of unplayed games and walkouts of players is unique in its scale, several Black players have the power of protest in the age of civil rights. Most recently, Boston Celtics player Bill Russell refused to play a preseason game in 1961 in Lexington, Kentucky, after he and two other Black players were denied service at their hotel. All in all, five Celtics players and two players from the opposing team, the St. Louis Hawks, the game over.
Russell, now 86, went on to become a full-fledged NBA major, breaking down barriers for black players and coaches and cementing himself as a powerful civil rights activist. He also expressed his support for recent demonstrations by players, drawing a bold line from one era of deep social crisis to another.
“I’m moved by all the NBA players to stand up for what’s good,”
Russell tweeted. “Stay in good trouble.”
Recently, when the years-long controversy caused by Colin Kaepernick’s NFL anthem demonstrations forced organizations to define the boundaries of the political voices of their athletes, doubled NBA players and leaders the progressive position of the league. They have regularly gone tea-to-toe with President Trump, a frequent critic of athletes who display their progressive policies. They have positioned themselves as outspoken leaders after the assassination of Trayvon Martin in 2012, the deaths of Eric Garner and others in 2014, the unrest following the 2016 election and the monumental movements of Black Lives Matter that spread around the world this summer. .
In the future, the new frontier of activism opened by these recent boycotts is likely to continue. By threatening to keep the hot sport they represent, NBA players have made clear how much is at stake in their call for racial justice, and how much they risk being heard.
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