Over the next 10 years, NBA team owners will contribute a total of $300 million to different areas of social justice, the NBA Board of Governors and the National Basketball Players Association announced Wednesday.
This annual $30 million will be the base of the newly formed NBA Foundation, which centers around helping the Black community with educational, employment and career advancement opportunities.
“The creation of this foundation is an important step in developing more opportunities for the Black community,” NBPA President and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul said in a statement.
“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.”
The foundation’s primary focus will be on career growth and advancement through increasing access and training opportunities.
Money will go toward organizations around the country that are centered around education and employment.
This includes youth employment, internship programs, shadow jobs and apprenticeships, education in STEM fields, non-traditional higher education, networking opportunities and partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The NBA Foundation plans to work with people through three parts of the workforce: finding a first job, getting employed after graduating high school or college, and then advancing in the career once employed.
“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 statement.
“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.”
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