The NBA and NBPA announced plans for the league to commit $300M over the next decade to "funding economic empowerment in Black communities," according to Kyle Goon of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Team owners in the NBA will contribute $30M annually to the newly created NBA Foundation, which "will seek to create employment opportunities for Black men and women." They will reach "particularly in NBA markets through local organizations and charitable partners that they hope will create lasting economic change to swing the scales of racial justice." All 30 NBA teams "will conduct local outreach." The foundation "will be steered by a board of eight people: four seats representing league owners and governors; three seats representing players, and a seat representing the league itself" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 8/6). USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt notes the foundation plans to "focus on obtaining a first job, securing employment following high school or college and career advancement once employed" (USA TODAY, 8/6). Wizards Owner and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder, Chair & CEO Ted Leonsis in a statement said that his company "will give the NBA Foundation an additional $1 million annually for the next 10 years" (ESPN.com, 8/5).
