Why were you interested in the NBA …

Why were you interested in the NBA executive vice president job? Joe Dumars: The first conversations I had with [NBA deputy commissioner] Mark Tatum and [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver was about the impact that you can have on the game. And that was the whole conversation we had about, you’ve had an impact on the game from a player standpoint, from a front-office executive standpoint. This is the other place that you can truly have an impact on the game. And so, for me, as I thought about it over the three- or four-month period of time that we talked about this, the further along I went, the clearer it became to me this is an excellent, excellent, perfect scenario for me. And once I made my mind up that, yes, yes, I can do this and I will, and let Adam know and let Mark know, there was no turning back for me at that point. So, I’ve embraced it full force.

“Presidents, general managers, people …

“Presidents, general managers, people in charge of making those decisions have access to that database, so they can look, go in there and say, ‘Hmm, I would have never known about this candidate, but now I have access to them,’ ” Mark Tatum told Yahoo Sports before Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Chase Center. “Here’s a list of candidates. So there’s a culture now where it’s just part of the process and it’s just an expectation. And I think we’re seeing that sort of really, really pay off.”

Scott Levy will step down as executive …

Scott Levy will step down as executive vice president and managing director of NBA Asia at the end of June 2022, it was announced today by NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum. Levy, who has overseen the NBA’s operations in the Asia-Pacific region since 2009, is leaving his position as he and his family plan to spend more time in their native United States.

So when the Basketball Africa League …

Stern — who understood the importance …

Do Becky Hammon and Liz Mills give you …

Do Becky Hammon and Liz Mills give you optimism that we’ll see a woman as an NBA head coach in the coming years? Mark Tatum: One hundred percent. There is no reason why a woman can’t be a head coach of men’s team, of an NBA team, right? We got [a female coach] right here in the BAL, we’re demonstrating it with a woman head coach of the Moroccan men’s team, OK? And I think she’s going to do very, very well here. I think people like Liz are going to break that perception that many had, and that’s the key to the opportunity that we had. And that’s the thing about giving, that representation matters, that opportunity matters, because you can’t bid if you can’t see it.

Did the NBA have to explain to Europe, …

Did the NBA have to explain to Europe, to Latin America, to Asia, why they started a league in Africa first? Did the NBA get any pushback about it? Mark Tatum: I don’t think so. I think, you know, we’re making investments in a lot of different places. Africa is unique. Africa is special in that we create our own entity around it, but the case is compelling. And I don’t think when you hear the case as to why we’re doing it, there’s no disputing that it makes a lot of sense.