As the sports world and society become more privy to inclusion and continue to eradicate outdated traditions and norms, the term “owner” remains an interesting quandary for many pro teams. This is especially true in the NBA, perhaps the most progressive league out of the United States’ four major sports.
Over the last 12 months or so, NBA teams have begun to discuss moving away from the term “owner,” as some perceive it to be derogatory and racially insensitive, especially in a league comprised of mostly African Americans. In fact, according to TMZ Sports, two teams have already made the switch and a number of others are discussing doing away with the word entirely.
Multiple NBA teams have had high-level conversations about doing away with the term “owner” over the past year — and at least two teams have already made the switch, TMZ Sports has learned.
We’re told the conversations essentially center around the idea that the term, owner — in a league where the majority of the players are black — feels racially insensitive.
The movement towards eradicating the term owner in the NBA and the sports world, in general, picked up steam during an episode of LeBron James’ HBO show The Shop. On the episode which aired in late 2018, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green spoke out against the term and suggested the title be changed to something less problematic such as CEO or chairman.
Now, we’re seeing the after effects and multiple teams have already made a change. We’re seeing teams such as the 76ers and Clippers now label their owners as Managing Partners or Chairmen respectively. With more and more teams in favor of nixing the term owner, it could only be a matter of time until the word is removed from NBA diction completely.
