Home Court Advantage: How a Basketball Team Builds Ties to Its Community

BY Evan Hong | January 31, 2020

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How Basketball’s Mental-Health Awakening Sets an Example for Business

During their respective NBA playing careers, both Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest were known for emotional outbursts that sometimes turned violent. Most famously, Rodman once kicked a sideline photographer during a 1997 game and, in 2004, Artest jumped into the stands of a Detroit arena, helping to spark a wild brawl between players and fans. But in the years since, Rodman and Artest (who now goes by Metta Sandiford-Artest) have also become outspoken advocates for mental health, openly discussing their own emotional issues and neurological disorders. After current NBA superstar Ja Morant engaged in troubling behavior, some episodes of which involved firearms, he stepped away from basketball to seek counseling. That outcome probably wouldn’t have been possible without Rodman and Sandiford-Artest’s willingness to publicly disclose their struggles and the ways in which they each dealt with them. These examples and others have put the NBA at the forefront of athlete mental health fitness, something that’s been widely discussed in the media in recent years, with top-flight stars like Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles exiting high-stakes competitions to address their respective emotional issues. Leaders of the National Basketball Players Association, the NBA players’ union, have developed mental health programming to help its members live healthy lives off the court and perform at their best while on it. One of the ways the organization’s mental health counselors do this is by helping the players develop and maintain a sense of purpose, which is what William Parham, Ph.D., director of the NBPA’s Mental Health & Wellness Department, discussed with Sean Gregory, senior editor at Time magazine, during a fireside chat at From Day One’s March virtual conference focusing on strengthening employee purpose within companies. Ultimately, the NBA is a corporation not unlike many others around the globe, whether they’re in tech, consumer goods or other industries. Like those groups, the league has a product to sell–the sport of basketball–and workers who produce it: the players. “We’re not here for no reason. We have a purpose, a design, a place that we need to go, and it can be a struggle getting there,” said Parham. “But once we really feel it in our spirit, that we know what we’re here to do, and we are laser-focused on that North Star goal, everything else becomes secondary.” Without naming him, Parham recalled one player from about 20 years ago who was performing at a particularly outstanding level. Fans and fellow NBA personnel were in awe. But the player was only devoting so much time and effort to his craft as a means to avoid personal struggles. Parham believed that if the player were able to unburden himself of his “emotional baggage,” that maybe he would achieve even greater heights. “We would see an exponential increase in his own individual talent, an exponential increase in team chemistry, and team-against-team competition, an increase in excitement of the fan base who’d purchase paraphernalia,” Parham said. “In other words, everybody wins when you invest in the health and wellness of athletes.” Thus, a mantra at the Players Association, he said, is “Your mental health is your mental wealth.” That kind of encouragement, to prioritize mental health and not feel shame over openly discussing potential struggles, can lead to a breakdown of cultural stigma. It’s what helped other NBA players, like Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozen, also speak out about mental health issues. “It is important, always, for HR folk and for others to really acknowledge that you’re looking at a human being, that all that glitters isn’t gold, and that there’s something hidden that you aren’t seeing that, nonetheless, is camouflaged by the brilliant expression of their talents,” Parham said. “So knowing that, putting resources together for them to take advantage of when they’re ready, is one of the important things to do.” When people understand their purpose–oftentimes closely associated with their work–they emerge better equipped to communicate with confidence their outlooks and perspectives, contributing to a team with more impact and helping generate discourse and connectivity between its members. But interpersonal relationships are also always two-way streets. Parham observed that if one were to switch around the letters of “listen,” the word “silent” can also be spelled. “When you are silent, you then position your sensory, visual, your hearing everything to come alive and you really absorb both the direct and indirect messaging [from others], but it takes intention,” Parham said. “Put aside your biases and assumptions and really want to know what the other person is asking of you. Because at the end of the day, you’re building trust—allowing them to know that this is confidential, that it’s safe, that you really see them, that you’re invested in making them visible, and that you’re here for the long run, not just for the short term. I think that is important messaging.” And when a person is struggling with challenges, particularly connected to emotional well-being, that struggle could be a signal of good health. It means that they are at the very least in touch with their bodies and minds. But, Parham noted, they still must be addressed. “Stars don’t come out at night,” Parham said. “It’s the darkness that illuminates the stars.” Michael Stahl is a New York City-based freelance journalist, writer, and editor. You can read more of his work at MichaelStahlWrites.com, follow him on Twitter @MichaelRStahl, and order his first book, the autobiography of Major League Baseball pitcher Bartolo Colón, at Abrams Books.

Michael Stahl March 16, 2023

A Team Builder Counts the Benefits of Diversity

“We’ve been saying it for years now that, maybe in a lot of ways, we were ahead of our time,” said Keia Clarke, CEO of the New York Liberty WNBA team, on how the women’s basketball league led the way in being socially progressive, more so than the other leagues in professional sports. “I stand proud in the fact the we ourselves are embracing it, but for the first time, there’s some media attention.” Clarke spoke at the From Day One virtual conference last week on building the workforce of the future in a conversation with Daniel Roberts, editor-at-large at Yahoo Finance. Clarke and Roberts talked about the benefits of a diverse workforce, the challenges and opportunities of coordinating the recent WNBA season during a pandemic, the evolution of the league’s approach to social justice, and how women’s basketball can serve as a model for other business leaders. This year, the Liberty were set to play their first season at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, moving from a previous home base in the suburbs, but Clarke and her team were forced to make other plans because of the pandemic. This year’s WNBA season commenced at a single site in Bradenton, Fla., known as the ‘”wubble,” a reference to the NBA Bubble in Orlando. New York Liberty CEO Keia Clarke, left, in conversation with Daniel Roberts, editor-at-large of Yahoo Finance (Image by From Day One) “Everyone’s job was flipped on its head. So at that point, my role really became focused on making sure the team stayed on task, that the team stayed together, that the team stayed healthy. It’s really hard to control people’s mental capacity, mental space at a time like that,” said Clarke, who became CEO in June after rising for a decade through the team’s ranks. Clarke and her team used this unique year as a reminder that leadership is centered around people–and people give their best when they are cared for. “It was that constant reminder to myself, most importantly, as a leader of people, that they were people first, before they were employees of the New York Liberty. And I needed to treat them as such in this time that the whole world was going through.” This is the same approach the league took when tackling racism. From prominently displaying Black Lives Matter on their game-day courts to partnering with the African American Policy Forum and the #SayHerName campaign, WNBA players forged a new path for athletes and companies taking on anti-racism work. “I think we’ve all seen–as a country, as a society, even globally–the racial tension, as of late. Especially with the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor … this goes back to having diverse voices is important always, but especially in a crisis situation,” Clarke said. About 80% of active WNBA players are Black women, as is Clarke. The WNBA front office and league staff overwhelmingly reflect the players on the court. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES) gave the WNBA high marks in its 2019 annual report card. The women’s pro league received an A grade for gender hiring and an A+ for racial hiring. While Clarke admits that gives her a level of authenticity when championing the league and social justice, the Liberty are still focused on having a diverse staff. Said Clarke of the team's owners: "Leadership has been so assuring and so trusting" (Photo courtesy of the New York Liberty) “We were at a point where we have majority women, our staff is pretty small. But we were almost all women and we were almost all minority or biracial,” said Clarke, who told her team, “We actually need a white male on our staff, or we need a couple more white males on our staff. Because, we don’t want to look at this thing, you know, with blinders on, when we’re trying to really sell sponsorships, sell tickets, market community social responsibility. There are so many things in this business that you need all of the voices.” When building a work team, Clarke said, it’s important for companies to promote growth at all levels in the hierarchy. Clarke encourages all staff to bring their education, experience, and expertise to the table regardless of their current position. In that way, she’s broadening the reach of the Liberty while also creating a culture in which staff is learning and progressing. At the league level, there remain improvements to make in terms of diversity. While the league boasts high marks in the latest TIDES report, the scoring rubric indicated that percentages are trending down. One example is among bench bosses. Of the 12 WNBA teams, only three women served as head coach in the 2020 season. Only two WNBA head coaches were Black and none were Black women. These statistics have caught the attention of the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA). “The consistent lack of diversity is unacceptable,” the union tweeted. “After nearly 25 years, the pool of retired players with interest and experience in coaching and front office positions is clear and extensive.” Clarke praised the WNBA for being ahead of most leagues when it came to embracing LGBTQ+ communities, but said that longtime fans didn’t always feel that was the case. “What I’m told is they were completely holding down the fort in terms of support of these women [players] and for many, many years, they were almost ignored,” Clarke said, while giving credit to fans for the celebratory culture that exists now. Clarke eagerly awaits the day she and her staff can welcome those same loyal fans to Liberty games at Barclays Center. When fans do return, Clarke is confident the team will succeed across all metrics. She credits owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, who also own the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, for a commitment to putting the women’s team on the same footing as the men’s team. “Leadership has been so assuring and so trusting in really spending a ton of their mindshare on making sure that we have the resources that we need to be successful,” Clarke said. “It’s changed everything, and everyone’s outlook.” Editor’s note: You can watch From Day One’s video of the conversation here, a Yahoo Finance video report here, and Daniel Roberts' story about his interview with Clarke here. Erica L. Ayala is a New York-based multimedia journalist who specializes in women's basketball, women’s hockey, and social justice in sports. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and The Athletic.

Erica Ayala October 26, 2020

Building an Inclusive Team in the Arena and the Community

For Betsy McCann, nurturing the authentic self must be at the center of all diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.“There’s no way that you can be a different person from nine to five than you are from five to nine,” said McCann, the new senior vice president of people and culture at Utah Jazz. “As soon as you start doing that, you feel this pull inside that tells you you’re not your authentic self.”McCann started her role in 2022 and has spent the last year pouring herself into making that approach not just a possibility, but a commonplace.Lori Prichard, anchor and reporter for Utah’s KSL, interviewed McCann during From Day One’s March conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Establishing that McCann herself is from out of state, Prichard asked what it’s like to build a team with different backgrounds.“This particular area of the country isn’t necessarily known for being as diverse as some other regions,” Prichard said. “How are you transparent with people who are coming to the organization from outside about [some of] the obstacles or challenges that they may face?”When it comes to feeling as though you can be your “authentic self” at work, McCann asserts that it all starts in your company’s hiring practices.McCann, left, and Prichard, right, kicked off the Salt Lake City conference (Photo by Sean Ryan for From Day One)“As the human resource function has evolved, we have a diligence and a duty to our candidates to provide them more of the real picture,” she said. “I promise most of you have gotten a job and been like, ‘Alright, when is the other shoe going to drop?’”The Jazz’s response was a program for the Black community, where current employees and prospective candidates can use confidential meeting time to talk about their experiences. The hiring manager, other employees, and even McCann herself aren’t involved—it’s an entirely safe place to have a real heart to heart. McCann says candidate feedback has been “incredible.”“This is something I’ve shared with the NBA, that I think other teams are figuring out how they would incorporate something like it,” she said.But you can’t hit the brakes after the hiring interviews. Consistent reminders that team members are seen and heard are key to maintaining a sense of belonging.Last year, for Día de los Muertos, “we had an ofrenda on the concourse,” she said. “We had incredible performances by Latinx and Hispanic artists, and we took the time to connect to that community in a meaningful way.”The Jazz will also be hosting their second pride night this year.“The night after I accepted [this] job, our chief experience officer took me to a Jazz game. It was our first ever pride night, and as a queer person sitting there, I felt like they’d done it before. It’s something that they’re proud of.”But while its foundational and second-story levels of inclusivity efforts are massive, what seems to make the Jazz’s impact uniquely successful is its ability to reach far outside of the core organization.“Seeing the reach of the Jazz into the [larger] community, particularly in schools is so critically important. What are some strategies that you use as an organization to make sure people know in the state that we care about diversity, equity, and inclusion?” Prichard asked.McCann immediately pointed to Junior Jazz, the largest youth-focused basketball program in the NBA. Currently, over 60,000 students in six states participate every year.“I grew up in a very small town where no pro-athletes [came to] show me how to play basketball,” McCann said. “[When you participate in] Junior Jazz, your family, and you as an individual, start paying attention to the work that the Jazz does, how we interface with the community and the events we build.”All of these efforts combined make the Jazz’s employees, players and fans feel connected not only to the game, but to each other.“The first time I went to a game, [I felt] the sound in my body,” McCann said. “This is something special. To be able cultivate the next generation of [the Jazz] is incredible.”Jacqueline is a writer and Master of Accounting graduate from the University of Utah. Specializing in tax, she's interested in business, government, and the intersection of the two. When she's not in Excel or writing, she loves to run, play Candy Crush, and read novels.

Jacqueline Mumford April 14, 2023