NBA Commissioner Adam Silver isn't aware the league he helms is considered the ‘wokest professional sports league,' but is proud nonetheless for the recognition.
The New York Times asked Silver how it feels to be the most social and politically aware sports league. Per Talya Minsberg of the Times, Silver said:
“I didn’t know we were given that designation,” Adam Silver, the N.B.A. commissioner, said, laughing. “But I understand the sentiment and we’re proud of that.”
Over the past few years, the NBA has freely allowed its players to express acts of protest. LeBron James back in 2014, when he was still a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, wore warm-up black shirts with “I Can't Breathe” printed in front. This was in protest to a grand jury’s decision not to chare a New York police officer whose choke hold led to the death of Eric Garner — an unarmed African-American man.
After winning the title in 2017, the Golden State Warriors infamously declined to visit the White House in protest and opted to take students in Washington to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture.
More recently, the Sacramento Kings wore shirts which read “Accountability. We are one” on the front and “#StephonClark” on the back, in protest of the death of Stephon Clark, another unarmed black man who was shot to death the by Sacramento police in his grandmother's backyard.
This is contrary to other sports leagues. As an example, the NFL, a league that has punished players for being ‘woke.' A good example is Colin Kaepernick, who was banished from the NFL after he took a knee during the national anthem to raise awareness of racism, among other problems hounding the US.
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