Michele Roberts, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, will seek to extend her current contract which is set to expire in September, according to reports from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Wojnarowski reports that Roberts’ plan to vacate her position once her the term of her contract ended, but has since had a change of heart.
Following from ESPN,
Roberts plans to send a formal letter of her intentions to the union’s executive committee in the near future, sources said.
Roberts had strongly considered staying in the NBPA’s executive director role for only the length of her original contract — and expressed that to the union’s senior membership — but has recently decided to pursue a longer tenure, sources said.
Roberts, during her tenure, has a hand in cultivating a more positive and collaborative relationship between the Players Union and the players. Last year’s collective bargaining agreement was about as seamless as it could have been and much less public than prior years negotiations.
NBPA president Chris Paul has forged a valuable relationship with Roberts, according to Wojnarowski, and was instrumental in her hiring back in 2014.
Roberts has worked hard with the union to create a better working environment for the players and has acted on behalf of the players on a number of occasions. Her work now involves working with the WNBA to launch an independent program that will aid players in their battles with mental health and wellness.
According to Wojnarowski, Roberts will also begin work on the league’s one-and-done rule.
With a labor agreement signed through 2024, changes to the NBA’s early entry rule — known as the one-and-done rule — is the next significant negotiation that Roberts and the union has with the NBA.
