As the NBA shutdown continues, so too does the evolution of the league’s charitable NBA Together effort launched just after the coronavirus outbreak.
When the program was first introduced last month, it looked to raise $50 million in support of COVID-19-related community and health care organizations. The fund included $30 million initially contributed by the league.
The NBA has far surpassed its goal, with nearly $80 million in funds earmarked for various support programs.
“We’ve provided over 6 million meals and over 5 million PPEs,” said Kathy Behrens, president of social responsibility and player programs for NBA. “We will continue to focus on those numbers. You realize how critical the issues are.”
The program is centered on four pillars: Know the Facts; Acts of Caring; Expand Your Community; and NBA Together Live that aims to amplify global health and safety information while sharing guidelines and resources.
The league is using its digital platform in support of all four areas with public service announcements, player videos and other wellness information.
In addition, the NBA Together program includes a Jr. NBA At Home effort that includes a variety of instructional player videos for young fans during the shutdown.
The latest evolution of the program is a series of virtual weekly roundtables that address a host of issues. One recent roundtable included Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative; two-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner; Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce; and former NBA player Caron Butler, who is a board member at the Vera Institute of Justice and a social justice and criminal justice reform advocate. This discussion focused on the urgent threat of COVID-19 to incarcerated communities as well as the existing inequities surrounding criminal justice in America.
“We started the virtual roundtables to go deeper in the issues,” Behrens said. “We will continue to do PSAs. We will continue to make sure that this is a sacrifice for people and the impact will be felt for some time. We know it is a struggle that will continue for a while.”
