The NBA is looking to do tremendous things during the Black Lives Matter movement. On Wednesday, the NBA and NBA Players Association announced $300 million in funding for a foundation to create economic empowerment for the Black community. The NBA will contribute $ 30 million for the next 10 years, which will be divided evenly by each team.
The foundation will focus on helping people in the Black community, obtaining a first job, securing employment after high school or college, and advancing in a career once employed. According to a statement: “the NBA Foundation will enhance and grow the work of national and local organizations dedicated to education and employment, including through investment in youth employment and internship programs, STEM fields, job shadows and apprenticeships, development pathways outside of traditional higher education, career placement, professional mentorship, networking and specific partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”
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“We are dedicated to using the collective resources of the 30 teams, the players and the league to drive meaningful economic opportunities for Black Americans,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a press release. “We believe that through focused programs in our team markets and nationally, together with clear and specific performance measures, we can advance our shared goals of creating substantial economic mobility within the Black community.”
The Foundation will work with all 30 teams along with their affiliated charitable organizations and the NBAPA. “The creation of this foundation is an important step in developing more opportunities for the Black community,” NBPA President Chris Paul said. “I am proud of our league and our players for their commitment to this long-term fight for equality and justice, and I know we will continue to find ways to keep pushing for meaningful institutional change.”
As CBS Sports mentioned, there have been several players, including Kyrie Irving, Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley, that said they are not sure about restarting the NBA season because of the racial issues going in in the country. The season resumed last week, and the league has done it’s best to support the Black Lives Matter movement, which includes having the phrase painted on all courts, players wearing shirts that say “Black Lives Matter” and kneeling during the national anthem. This move by the NBA is similar to what Michael Jordan announced back in June. The NBA legend and the Jordan Brand decided to donate $100 million to fight racial and social injustice.
